Flying Blind
by CrackdownDraco
Summary: After a successful book launch by the talented ME, Jane, Maura and Barry Frost head out for a sudden consult. It turns into an adventure none of them were prepared for. As they fight for survival, they learn things about each other and themselves on route. Some of those things are surprising, other things turn out to be not so much of a surprise. Eventually Rizzles. Reviews welcome
1. Ch 1: Books, Planes and Chess Games

**Flying Blind**

**©November 2012 CrackdownDraco.**

**Authors note: This is an idea I've had floating around for few years now, so I thought I would finally try and write it down and see where it leads. I have no idea how long the story will be, but it is certainly enough to qualify for more than a one shot. **

**The usual disclaimers apply: Rizzoli and Isles belong to Tess Gerritsen, TNT, et al, and I make no claim on them. I promise to return the ladies and their associates safe and sound once they've been out to play. This is purely for fun, not profit. **

**©The remaining part/ideas of the story are mine and mine alone though, and may not be reposted, reproduced or copied elsewhere without express permission of myself. However, it may be archived on other suitable fanfiction sites with this copyright, disclaimer and authors note in place. If you do that, just let me know when and where it is archived for my records, thanks. **

**Set around season three of the show. Reviews are welcomed. I realize that if you've read my other stories, you'll know a couple are uber/fantasy based, however this tale is **_**not**_** going down that route. I felt it was time for a bit of a change. If you are worried about what is happening with the unfinished Courting Disaster, never fear, it is still being worked on, it's just that real life got in the way a bit. **

**This has not been beta read, so sorry for all and any mistakes which are mine and mine alone.**

**Summary: After a successful book launch by the talented ME, Jane, Maura and Barry Frost head out for a surprise consult. It turns into an adventure none of them were prepared for, and as they fight for survival, they learn things about each other, and themselves, along the way. Eventually Rizzsles.**

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Chapter 1: Books, Planes and Chess Games.

Jane Rizzoli bounded into the autopsy suite with a brand new book clutched in her left hand. Spying the Medical Examiner to her right she threw open her arms and gathered up the surprised smaller woman, twirling her around, causing her own dark hair to mingle with the lighter strands of her best friend as they moved. "You did it Maur, you did it. You can now officially add author to your titles."

Laughing as she was set back down, Maura Isles blushed slightly and replied demurely. "No Jane, we did it, if you hadn't pushed me into writing the reference book rather than just a study paper it would have never been published in that form."

Glancing at the aforementioned tome, Jane said. "Well, I'll admit that 'Recovery and Examination of Frozen Bodies' is never going to be on the best sellers list, but if your publisher is right this is going to become standard reading for all future Medical Examiners. You really have changed the way we do things around here. Being able to pin down time of death more accurately was a real breakthrough. I went online this morning and already some of the reviews are saying this could be as big as the discovery of fingerprinting and DNA.

Bowing her head slightly in acknowledgement Maura could only murmur. "Thank you," in response to the Detectives enthusiastic reaction to her achievement.

"So, you, me, Frost, Korsak, Ma, Frankie and Tommy at the Robber tonight to celebrate?" Jane ducked her head slightly so she could see into her friends' expressive hazel eyes as she waited for a reply.

"Alright," Maura conceded bashfully. "But we're all working tomorrow so we can't stay long." Thinking for a moment she added hopefully. "Although I do quite like the idea of a proper celebration, perhaps we could all have a meal at my house on Saturday, make an evening of it?"

"That would be great," looking back at the doors Jane vaguely gestured in that direction. "Look, I've got to go and find Frost about this witness he's tracked down on the Durry case, I'll let the others know then call you about a time?"

"I look forward to it."

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The following afternoon Jane and her partner in the homicide division of the Boston Police Department, Barry Frost, were walking along the corridor with the ME discussing their latest findings. As they headed towards the brick, and past Lieutenant Cavanaugh's office the older, grey-haired man opened the door and almost growled at them. "Rizzoli, Frost, Dr Isles, my office now!"

When they entered Sean Cavanaugh just gestured to the seats opposite his desk while he remained standing, and once they were all in place he started gruffly. "You three are to go home and prepare to fly out for a consult."

Seeing the anger radiating from her boss Jane asked carefully. "Okay, we've done consults before, what's making this one so different?"

"Thanks to that damned book by Dr Isles you're all heading out to a place that is small enough to qualify for the title of Bumfuck, somewhere in Alaska, and not only that, I lose three of my best investigators for two whole fucking months!" By the end Sean Cavanaugh was barely suppressing the rage he was feeling at the way he had been railroaded.

"Wait what?" Initially ready to jump to Maura's defense over the book reference, the final comment really snagged Jane's attention. "What do ya mean two months? Oh no, no, no. We've got open cases, I've got court…"

Holding up a hand to cut her off her tirade Cavanaugh said curtly. "Save it Rizzoli, whoever set this thing up has some major pull with the top brass, I've spent the entire Goddamn morning on the phone. They ain't budging, cases are being reassigned and any court appearances are being postponed. I can tell you the DA's office is none too happy either, but even they couldn't get the decision overturned."

Maura looked thoroughly vexed. "But…"

She was cut off as well. "Nothing and I mean nothing you can say will change this Dr Isles. You have two hours, and then you need to be ready to get to the airport. Like I said, you're going to rural Alaska, so make sure you pack for the conditions and weather. A town car will pick you all up from your home addresses, and if it's any consolation, with the clout behind this you're flying by private plane. You can take your own service weapon with you in a locked box. Paperwork for that is being done now and will be completed and faxed over to the right offices before you take off." At the stunned looks before him Sean took a deep calming breath and added. "I know this is not usual, and believe me I'm not looking forward to having you all away from here for so long. Upside is I get to have Frankie Rizzoli assigned to me on a temporary basis. He's a good officer, and this will go a long way with helping his career. Between him, Korsak, Crowe and Cooper we should be okay. Files will be on the plane with the outline of the case you're going to be helping with, plus all contact and accommodation information. You'll be back home just in time for Christmas, be grateful for that, if they could have wrung another few weeks out of you they would have done. Dismissed."

Shocked by the suddenness of the situation the three rose as one and left the office. Once they were outside the door they looked at each other in dazed bemusement. Jane was the first to speak. "I guess I had better go to the café and find Ma, tell her the news, and check Jo's going be okay with her for the time we're away."

Drawn out of her own thoughts Maura added. "I'll come with you. I need to ask her about looking after Bass."

"Sure," Jane easily agreed, and turning to the dark skinned man beside her she asked. "What about you Frost, anybody you need to go and see?"

"Nah," he waved the two women off, "I'll just head on home and pack, wait for the car. I haven't done my laundry this week so I hope I've got enough clean warm clothes, see ya later."

"Yeah, later," Jane replied rather distractedly, running her hands through her dark mane of hair. "Oh crap, now I've got to face…"

"Your Mothers wrath," Maura supplied the end of the sentence. Linking her hand in her friends arm she pulled the taller woman towards the elevators. "Come on, at least with me there as well she'll know this is not something you can get out of."

"She's still gonna kill me!" Jane groaned.

Predictably, Angela Rizzoli's reaction to hearing her only daughter was going to be away for such a long time was forceful … and loud. It took all of Jane and Maura's persuasive powers to stop her storming up to the Lieutenants office and letting her displeasure be known. Finally she calmed down and assured both women that she would happily look after the animals, which only left them with the task of going to their respective homes to pack.

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Jane stood in front of her closet, "Christ, Bumfuck Alaska, what the Hell do I pack for Bumfuck Alaska?" Rifling through her clothes she separated all the warm, practical items and continued to mutter. "At least with Boston weather I have the right type of stuff to wear, could have lived in LA or Florida and had nothing suitable to take. Oh God," she groaned. "That woulda meant shopping!"

Before she could get dragged further into her musings her cell phone rang. Grabbing it forcefully she barked. "Rizzoli." Into the receiver.

"Hey sis, the Lieutenant, and then Ma told me the news, anything I can do?"

Relaxing slightly when she heard her younger brothers' voice, Jane flopped down onto her bed as she replied. "Nah, but you'd better do a damn good job of holding down the fort while we're gone. Listen to Korsak, he won't see you wrong, and for God's sake don't screw up, or I'll kick your ass for a month of Sundays. If you're lucky you might get assigned to Homicide full time."

Barely able to hide the excitement in his voice Frankie Rizzoli said. "Yeah, I know, I mean it sucks that you're gonna be away until Christmas, but after Riley got that spot in Homicide I never thought I'd get this chance. Plus I've got Korsak to work with, bet she's gonna love working with Crowe."

Smiling wistfully at her brothers' enthusiasm, Jane was genuinely pleased that at least he was getting a valid stab at being a Homicide Detective. "It's about the only saving grace in this whole mess. Glad you phoned though, God knows what the cell reception's gonna be like when we get there, and until we get on the plane I'm not even sure exactly where there is, no pun intended, but you know I hate flying blind. Suppose I'd better give Tommy a quick ring as well, let him know what's going on."

"Yeah, he'd appreciate that," Frankie agreed, knowing the youngest Rizzoli sibling would be upset if Jane didn't contact him. "We haven't heard where you're going either, the Lieutenant was real angry at having you all leave like this, so he only told us what you told Ma. Said he'd give us more details tomorrow once you'd had chance to catch up on the case and once he'd had the chance to cool down a bit. I don't think I've ever seen him so mad at the top brass before."

"Well, as soon as I know more, you'll know." Checking the time Jane decided she had better get a move on. And with a promise to either phone or email as soon as she could to say they'd arrived safely, the siblings said goodbye leaving Jane time to phone and talk to Tommy.

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With half an hour to spare Jane had packed her large backpack, which she preferred in lieu of a suitcase, plus a smaller carry on, and computer bag. Making sure she hadn't forgotten anything Jane sat down to wait. And one thing Jane Rizzoli didn't do well was waiting, resulting in an impatient woman who opened to door when somebody finally knocked on the wooden structure right on time. To Jane's amazement she found a perfectly outfitted chauffeur waiting for her.

"Detective," he greeted her cordially. "May I take your bags down to the car?"

"Nope," Jane picked up the bags, slinging the backpack over one shoulder before stepping out of her apartment and locking the door. "I've got them thanks." And before he could say anymore she was on her way down the stairs.

Reaching the outside steps Jane ground to halt, taking in the sight of a limo. "Well that's slightly different than the expected town car," she muttered in surprise. Turning to look at the chauffeur she nodded towards the sleek black vehicle. "That ours?"

"Yes Ma'am," Opening the trunk he reached out expectantly for her bags. Shrugging off the surprise she handed them to him, and opened the back door to find Barry Frost was already inside.

While she made herself comfortable he grinned at her. "If they're going to treat us this well for the whole two months it might not be so bad after all."

Pinning him with a look of disbelief she replied. "Do I_ really_ have to remind you we're heading to some place so small it probably isn't even on a map? The chances of this sort of extravagance happening once we get there are going to be on the low side. I'll settle for a place with a decent bed, shower and coffee! I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is their way of softening the blow for when it comes."

"Aw, come on, surely it won't be that bad," he answered as the car moved away from the curb with the grace and efficiency you'd expect of a luxury vehicle. "It's not like we're going to be stuck in some backwoods cabin dating from the 1800's with the facilities to match."

Grinning impishly, she said. "Tempting fate there Frost, tempting fate."

He laughed, and they settled into a comfortable silence for the drive over to Maura's.

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Before the car had fully stopped outside Maura's house Jane had opened her door and hopped out saying. "I've got this, you wait here."

Making her way to Maura's front door, Jane gave a cursory knock before letting herself in. The familiarity between the two was enough for her to know Maura would be more offended if she waited outside to be let in, rather than just opening the door herself. The sight that greeted her made her pause though. "Er, Maura, that's a lot of bags, even for two months."

Hearing Jane's voice Maura made her way out from the kitchen area. She was wearing a perfectly coordinated outfit. Fitted tan cargo pants, with a heavy linen beige blouse which was topped off with a very warm looking waist length tan jacket, which had black accents on the cuffs and collar. On her feet were hiking boots, which Jane was surprised to see. Until she realized the boots had heels, albeit small heels by Maura's standard, but heels nevertheless. She might have known Maura couldn't just stick with plain flat boots.

"You know I like to be prepared Jane, I even have a travel sized chess set so we can play a game or two as we fly," Maura replied as she picked up her purse from the counter. When she saw that Jane was still looking at what she was wearing she twirled around and asked, "Do you like my outfit?"

Realizing she was staring Jane shook her head slightly to get her mind back on track. "Er, yeah, it's good, but I was wondering how practical heels were gonna be? And where can you get hiking boots with heels anyway?"

"The internet," Maura enthused. "There is this fabulous Italian manufacturer who is being hailed as the next Gucci. And don't worry, I have packed ordinary hiking boots along with my normal waterproof waders, but as we were traveling today I felt it would be appropriate to wear these for the duration."

"Oh, okay," Jane could see the logic in her friends' argument. Although glancing at the six large suitcases she frowned and added uncertainly. "Are we gonna have room for all that though? It might only be a small plane."

"Oh, I expect it will be fine," the Doctor replied confidently. "I've flown in private planes before."

Somehow Jane thought that her idea of what was classed as a private plane, and what Maura was used to might be very different. Not wanting to upset her friend though, Jane mentally shrugged and proceeded to carry out the first items of luggage.

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In the event, it was Jane who was surprised as they were driven up to a large Jet which could have almost been classed as a commercial passenger plane such was its size. 'Okay, points go to Maur on this one,' she thought as they disembarked from the limo and watched in fascination as people suddenly appeared from the adjacent hanger and unloaded the luggage. Deciding to follow Maura's lead Jane made her way up the steps into the jet, and a tall, wiry looking steward greeted them at the top and showed them to their seats. Maura looked unaccountably pleased, while Frost held a stunned expression on his face which Jane was sure was mirrored by her own look.

Glancing around Jane took in the splendour and was just about to ask Maura a question when the steward interrupted her train of thought. "Can I get you a drink Madam?"

"Er, yeah," Jane paused, wondering what the choices where, then realized that whoever had set this up probably had a large selection laid on. "I'll have a beer thanks, don't worry about a glass."

Not looking at all peeved by the ordinary nature of her order the steward when on to take requests from Frost and Maura before retreating to get their beverages.

"Wow," Frost blew out a whistle of admiration. "These things sure are comfortable."

Jane could only sink further into the leather seat in agreement. "Yeah, you say you've traveled in private planes before Maur, how does this one compare?"

"Oh, this is certainly one of the more expensive planes I've flown in. Once they've loaded everything into the cargo area I expect we'll be on our way, the steward will let us know when they are ready for take off," the Doctor answered almost primly. Jane couldn't help but smile at the way her friend fell back into long ingrained habits. If she didn't know Maura so well Jane knew she might be offended by the apparent lack of empathy for those people who hadn't been raised within such wealth. However, she knew it was a subconscious action on the Doctors part, and Jane found it endearing.

"So we just sit back and enjoy the ride," Jane surmised.

Maura beamed a huge smile at the taller woman. "Exactly."

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	2. Chapter 2: Up in the Air

**Author Note: Thank you for all the follows alerts etc. The chapter has not been beta read, so sorry for all and any mistakes, and I hope that doesn't detract from your reading. As always, reviews welcomed.**

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Chapter 2: Up in the Air.

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Once the steward had handed them their drinks, he also distributed some sealed files which he assured them would contain details of the case, and the other relevant information Sean Cavanaugh had promised them would be present. Not wanting to get tied up with work straight away Jane threw the folder onto the seat next to her and declared. "I'm gonna enjoy this drink first."

Maura paused from opening her file and glanced at Barry Frost to see he had done the same as Jane. Suppressing a sign at the lackadaisical manner which the other two were exhibiting she decided that there was little point in trying to work until the two Detectives were ready. Picking up her own drink of red wine she saluted both Jane and Barry. "Well, if we must do this, then I propose a toast. Too absent family and friends and may we be finished on this case with alacrity."

"I'll drink to that," Jane agreed as she lent forward and tapped her beer bottle, first against Maura's glass, and then against Frost's own bottle of beer. Taking a long swig she sighed contentedly as she swallowed.

The rumbling of the engines starting up disturbed the peace somewhat, but at least it meant they were finally going to be on their way, and as far as Jane was concerned the sooner they got there the sooner they could be back home. Never having flown with Frost or Maura before she took the time to covertly watch how they reacted. Predictably enough the doctor seemed calm and collected, however, it was an entirely different story with Frost. Gradually he started to pick at the label on the bottle, and Jane could see a sheen of sweat breaking out on his forehead. Jane jumped slightly when a hand was placed on her arm, and when she looked up Maura glanced at her, then at Frost before giving Jane a barely perceivable shake of her head. Nodding slightly Jane acknowledged the honey blond woman. Message received and understood; she was not to tease the younger man. Relaxing and looking pleased that Jane had agreed with her Maura dropped the contact and the jet began to trundle forward.

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Within fifteen minutes they were airborne, and with a resigned look at the empty beer beside her Jane turned her attention to the file. Picking up the folder she glanced through the top sheet before her eyebrows rose and she looked at Maura who had also started to read the information. Immediately Jane's gut was rolling in anticipation, and knowing the Doctor hated gut feelings she waited to see if Maura could shed any logical light on what they were reading. The giveaway tells were there if you knew Maura, a slight stiffening of her posture, her eyes rapidly skimming between the pages, then the slight frown would ultimately arrive. Sure enough a couple of minutes later all three had made an appearance, and Maura finally looked up to capture Jane's gaze.

"What do you see?" The Detective asked, trusting Maura implicitly.

"I'm not entirely sure," the Doctor replied, looking puzzled. "How could the mass recovery of twenty three bodies in various states of decomposition be overlooked by the media? If the information is right it looks like the dump site for a serial killer."

Jane shrugged, deciding to play devil's advocate for a moment. "Small town. Probably means it's easier to keep a lid on the press than in a city like Boston. Promise the local paper or TV station the exclusive once it's all over and there you have it. Won't stop local gossip, but if the media isn't carrying the story it could easily be denied if it got leaked to an outside source."

"But still, that doesn't explain why we were called in rather than the FBI. They would have more experience and resources than the just the three of us."

Jane gave a humorless laugh. "I think we've got the serial killer experience covered, but I agree the FBI would have been a more logical choice. The only thing I can think of is the bodies were all found frozen. With this new technique of yours it would make sense to ask you for a consult. That brings us back to why Frost and I were chosen to be with you. Really we don't need to be here as the FBI could have just as easily asked for you alone to cover that angle. However, compared to a federal agency we'd be low key and not likely to attract as much unwanted attention."

Maura's face fell slightly. "Don't you want to be on the case with me?"

"Ah, ah, ah," Jane waggled a finger at Maura. "I didn't say that, so no thinking that way. Yes, I want to be here with you, if I wasn't I'd be constantly worrying about my best friend. So don't go getting ideas that I regret being roped into this little consult. Sure, I don't like being away from Boston for so long, but that's it. Now what else has that brilliant mind of yours picked up on."

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Back on firmer ground Maura began to her organize her thoughts. "The bodies were found in a rural cabin, one room had been converted into a freezer. Without seeing the bodies it is hard to know if the decomposition was a result of the bodies being left out in the elements to start with. Or it could be there were occasional power cuts to the property which allowed the decomposition over a longer period of time. All twenty three bodies were naked and had their heads shaved when they were found, and according to the local coroner who first looked at the remains, all the bodies appear to have been washed down at some point."

"Great, a killer who knows how to cover their tracks," Jane groaned. "Alright, why convert a room into a freezer?"

"If they were exposed to the elements to start with, could that indicate the freezer was then rigged up to help preserve the bodies? Maybe the killer wanted to keep them as trophies?" Frost asked, glancing through his own file.

"A valid hypothesis Barry," Maura mused. "If that is indeed the case it could well indicate why the killer was keeping the bodies whole. Aside from the decomposition there was no indication of other injuries. Preliminary cause of the death was ruled as asphyxiation by the coroner."

"Crap, keeping bodies, that's a pretty big trophy," Jane exclaimed. "Most serial killers will take something small, something that can be hidden easily. So, with that in mind, any further ideas as to why they would keep the bodies in that state?"

"To taunt the authorities at a later date, the same way Hoyt had Emily pose James Stern on the bench for us to find. Or indeed like Dennis Rockmond making sculptures. Albeit he used bodies that he'd kept in cold storage rather than frozen." Although Maura's voice hadn't wavered when talking about those two cases, she and Jane shared an understanding look of horror over what had happened to them.

Forcing her mind back on the case, Jane said. "Okay, what else do we know?"

"The cabin is extremely isolated, nearest neighbor is over thirty miles away, the town thirty-five, and it's been empty for a little over ten years," supplied Frost. "The owner died without having any relatives to leave it to. Somebody knew the cabin was deserted, and that could indicate a person with either local knowledge, or somebody who visits the area often. No signs of the murders having taken place in or around the cabin, so it does look like a pure dump site. None of the bodies match local missing person's reports, so you have to wonder where they have come from. They were of mixed gender, ages and race, and all seemed to be in good health before they were killed. If a hiker with a group of six friends hadn't been injured and looking for help, the bodies could have remained undiscovered for who knows how long. "

Jane thought about that for a moment. "Frost, first thing I'd like you to do is find out who works away from town a lot, travels in a car, truck, van whatever. And see if there are any steady visitors who come into town using their own transport. I think we can safely say whoever this is has access to a vehicle to get the bodies into the area, and then to the dump site."

"If the killer was around when the bodies were found they are likely to have integrated themselves into the investigation somehow." Maura reminded them. "Try and cross reference names with people who are either investigating this, or have volunteered in some way."

Frost nodded and made a note on his legal pad. "Gotcha."

"Maur, I know you'll want to look at the bodies as soon as possible, but before that can you come with me to find out why the FBI hasn't been called in?" Jane asked. "That's still bugging me, and I want to know who made that decision and why. Then I thought I'd stay with you while you did the autopsies."

Maura visibly brightened at the thought of being included in Jane's own plans. Normally she would have been more than happy to go straight to the morgue, but this time she wanted to be with Jane or Barry as much as possible. Her lack of social skills had improved enormously over the years, but not knowing anybody else on the case was already taxing her emotionally, and she would be glad of the company. "Of course," she agreed readily.

"Okay," Jane looked at the information once more. "Timescale, if the cabin has been empty for ten years that would be the most logical period we're gonna be looking at but don't take it for granted. Somehow the power was kept running to run the freezer, so even if the killer was the previous owner, somebody was looking after the place. That's one thing we have going for us, we're experienced with serial killers taking on apprentices…"

Just then the plane was jolted by some pretty hefty turbulence, and Frost made a grab for the arms of his seat, and impressively for a man of his color appeared to pale considerably. "Shit, tell me that was normal?" He managed to squeak out between clenched teeth.

Looking out of the window Maura appeared to think about answering but then her eyebrows drew together and she turned to face Jane with a worried expression on her face. However, before she could say anything the steward appeared.

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**Back in Boston:**

Korsak walked over to Frankie Rizzoli who was wiping the imaginary creases out of his suit. "You ready for this?" The older man asked kindly as he clapped a hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Born ready," he replied, with a slight smirk that could have come straight out of Jane's 'handbook of expressions 101.'

Korsak laughed. "You're a Rizzoli alright. Come on kid, let's go into the lion's den and get this over with."

Leading the way, the gentle man knocked on the door to the Lieutenants office. Hearing the command to enter, he opened the door and allowed Frankie access first. Following the younger Rizzoli inside Vince was pleased to see that Crowe and Riley Cooper weren't there yet. He knew being on time was going to make a much better impression on their superior officer. Making his way over to the visitor's chairs Korsak sat in one, with Frankie plopping down next to him. Sean Cavanaugh looked up from the files he was reading. "Glad to have you on board Rizzoli. Once the others get here we'll get started."

"Yes Sir," Frankie sat up straighter. Ten minutes past in silence before there was finally another knock on the door.

Calling out. "Enter," the Lieutenant looked up as Crowe and Cooper made their way inside his office. He scowled at them. "You're late. Don't make a habit of it."

"Sorry Sir, it won't happen again," and from the look Riley was giving Crowe, Vince got the impression the older Detective had been the cause of her delay. And he had to hide his smile behind a hand. '_Welcome to Homicide_,' he thought to himself.

Standing up to give the four Detectives some files Cavanaugh also witnessed a smug expression on Crowes face with suspicion and said. "Noted, now, these are copies of the files which our people will hopefully be reading in the plane right about now. We've got other cases which will have to take precedent, but it wouldn't hurt to get familiar with their situation in case they need help from our crime lab or other facilities. I get the feeling their resources are going to be pretty limited and if we can help them crack this, the sooner I can get three of my best people back."

Immediately the smug look on Crowes face was replaced with a scowl. "Oh come on Sir, we're gonna be busy enough without holding Rizzoli's hand the whole time!"

Sean Cavanagh's voice hardened to an icy tone. "If you question my orders again Crowe, you'll be busted to evidence faster than it takes me to finish this sentence. We're not holding anybody's hand, but we have resources here that they won't have in a small town, and once you see what they're up against you'll see why I want us all to do what we can, when we can."

Looking suitably chastised Crowe nodded and opened his file after the Lieutenant motioned for them to all read what the others would be flying into.

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It only took Vince Korsak a couple of minutes to recognize the gravity of the situation. "Well shit," he muttered.

"No shit!" Frankie said next to him before looking at his superior officer. "Sir why isn't this case being investigated by a Federal agency?"

"That's what the wrangling with the top brass was all about. They wanted people who wouldn't attract attention but had experience with serial killers. And guess who drew the short straw, that's why I want you all up to speed on this. They're gonna need all the help they can get."

"But damn it Sir, haven't Jane and Maura been through enough without getting saddled with this crap!" Frankie was incensed, and Sean Cavanaugh was prepared to give the younger man some leeway because it was his sister involved. However, there was a limit and before Frankie got himself into trouble he barked out. "That's enough Rizzoli. You're not telling me anything I don't already know. Hell, I wasn't just arguing about losing three of my best people for so long, they don't deserve to have this thrown at them, especially so soon after the Dennis Rockmond case. I've told your sister, and I'm telling you, there's only one Jane Rizzoli. And I feel the same way about Doctor Isles. Frost is a young officer, but he's turning into a great Detective. It doesn't do any of us good to have them halfway across the goddamned country."

Recognizing the passion in his Lieutenant's tone Frankie calmed down and nodded. "So, what's the plan?"

Cavanaugh's face turned feral. "We do what we do best. We look through the files, and start to build theories about what happened."

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Once the meeting with Cavanagh had finished and much to the others delight, Crowe had been lumbered with all the paperwork which needed to be finished that day. Cavanagh had rightly realized who was to blame for the two Detectives being late for the meeting, and that along with Crowes outburst was enough for the man to get the worst job of the afternoon. Two hours later their official shift was over, and Frankie Rizzoli, Riley Cooper and Vince Korsak had stayed behind to start work on the Alaska case. The daylight had long faded, and Frankie had taken Frost's usual place at the computer in the brick, aided by Riley. They were looking through property deeds to see if they could trace who might have a claim on the cabin. So far they had struck out, but there were still some reports to go through. Vince Korsak had hit the phones, getting in touch with the police chief who would be liaising with Jane and the others in Alaska.

Leaning back and rubbing his hands over tired eyes Frankie looked over to the computer Riley was using. Although he had been cross with the young woman over her behavior before she got the spot in Homicide. Jane's words echoed in his ears, and he knew he was better than the attitude he had been exhibiting, and working well with Riley might help his sister get home sooner rather than later. '_Time to man up_,' he thought to himself. "We're going to the Dirty Robber afterwards for a beer. Do you want to join us?" He asked aloud.

Riley's eyes opened wide in surprise, and she stumbled a bit with her answer. "Er, yeah, thanks, that would be great."

"Okay," thinking about what to say next Frankie returned his attention back to the reports. "Not sure what time everyone was planning on finishing, but I'd like to get the rest of these property deeds looked at before I leave."

"That's fine with me. I'd like to get my stuff out the way as well." Riley said.

Korsak made his way in from the other room, and sat down in a spare chair. "How are you guys getting on?"

"Nothing so far," Frankie confirmed. "The guy who owned the cabin was eighty one when he died, and had no family that they could find. Because the place was so isolated and needed work doing on it, local people hadn't bothered to check up on the place and presumed the cabin was abandoned."

Riley confirmed her search had produced the same results. "How about you?" She asked the older Detective.

Korsak consulted his legal pad. "I managed to get hold of the Police Chief, and he confirms they wanted to keep this as quiet as possible, they don't want to spook whoever killed these people if at all possible. When I asked about who had the funds to pay for the private plane, he told me that the Mayor's family had made their money in oil in Texas before moving to Alaska twenty years ago. The Mayor was the one who had the pull with the bosses here."

"What made you ask about that?" Frankie wanted to know.

Korsak scowled slightly and shrugged. "Damned if I know really, it just seemed strange that for such a small town, somebody would go to so much trouble to get our people involved. But, I guess if you're running scared with a serial killer about the place you'd do everything you can to get the guy as soon as you possibly could. I'm just a little annoyed that they dragged Jane and Maura into this when the FBI should have been a more logical choice. At least it does sound as though the chief genuinely wants the crimes solved. For a moment I did consider they sent for our guys in the hope it would get buried as unsolved somewhere. "

"What are you going to do next?" Riley asked him.

"Start looking for missing persons that might match the victims, but without knowing where they came from originally it's going to be a difficult search." Vince paused as the Lieutenant entered the brick. "Thought you'd gone home Sir," he commented.

"Not while you were still here. If you're putting in the time, then so am I, what can I do to help?"

"Erm," Korsak was thrown off track for a moment, not expected the higher ranking officer to be asking him for orders. "I was just saying that my next job was going to be trying to track down where the victims came from, do you want to split the search with me?"

"Perfect," and without further ado Sean sat down next to a computer and held his hand out to receive some the files that contained the victims' descriptions.

Half an hour later Frankie and Riley had finished their respective searches, and as they suspected both had come up empty. Korsak and Cavanagh had both got several possible hits from missing persons, but nothing definite. Deciding to call it a night they had just got up and put coats on, intending to head for the Dirty Robber when a flustered looking uniformed officer burst into the Homicide department. When he saw Sean Cavanagh he ran over, the nervous tension fairly radiating off the young man. Before the Lieutenant could demand what had caused such unprofessional behavior the uniform blurted out. "Sorry sir, but we've just got word. The plane that Detectives Rizzoli, Frost and Doctor Isles were on went missing about two hours ago."

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**Authors Note: So, what's happened to the plane? I'm already working on the next chapter, so you shouldn't be kept in suspense for too long … ;o)**


	3. Chapter 3:Flying Blind

**Authors Note: Sorry for the delay in my updates. Life has just been throwing one thing after another at me and my sister this past year. However, I have been plodding away very slowly but surely both on this story and 'Courting Disaster.' Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this update.**

**Thank you for all the reviews alerts and views, I do read and appreciate all the reviews that I get. **

**This chapter has not been beta read so I'm sorry if there are any glaring errors. If you spot anything major please do let me know so I can correct it, especially as I have a bad habit of thinking one word and typing another.**

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Chapter 3: Flying Blind.

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"I'm sorry for the intrusion," the steward said. "Only I just wanted to pass on a message from the pilot to say there would be some turbulence, and that it was nothing of concern for him or the co-pilot." And with a slight bow he left them.

"Well, there you go Frost, nothing to worry about." Jane said cockily, smiling when the other Detective didn't loosen the death grip he had on the arms of his chair.

"Jane," Maura said, immediately snagging the taller woman's attention with her worried tone.

"Yeah," Jane replied, drawing nearer to the doctor.

"Something's not right." Looking towards the cockpit Maura lowered her voice.

Surprise crossed Jane's face. "For somebody who tends to use ten words when two will do that was a very vague statement Maur, what exactly do you mean?"

"I mean we're not heading in the right direction, and that the altitude of the plane isn't what it should be."

"You can tall that from just one glance out of the window?" Jane asked in amazement, looking out to the gathering clouds and then motioned to Maura to join her at the chair where Frost was sitting so they could keep their voices lowered.

"Yes, I did some gliding whilst in France and from my experiences there I can tell you we're at a lower altitude than I would normally expect. Plus this weather system wasn't on our flight path until much later on. In fact we shouldn't have hit it until we were almost ready to land."

Before Jane or Barry could question the ME further the steward reappeared, and the hard look on his face made Jane very uneasy. Cursing the fact that their guns were locked in secure boxes, Jane could see Frost tensing as well, and like her he made an automatic move to the area where the boxes were being stored. They hadn't taken two steps before the steward produced a gun and snarled. "Oh no you don't, stay exactly where you are."

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Warily Jane took note of the gun in the stewards' hand, at first glance it looked like a SIG Sauer Pro 2022 and it was being held confidently, without any signs of nerves. To her that indicated a person who wouldn't hesitate to use the weapon if provoked. Maura was the first to speak. "Why are we flying off the scheduled flight path?"

For a split second confusion showed on the steward's face. "What?" He barked in reply.

"We're flying low, I would say low enough to avoid detection by radar, and into the weather system that was forecast to be nowhere near our main flight path."

"And just how the fuck did you know what the flight path would be when you didn't know where you were going?" By now the confused look had been replaced by one of anger on the face of the wiry man.

"I contacted the local airports to find a plane leaving for Alaska at the scheduled time, and once I had found the correct one, I simply asked for the flight path and looked up the weather on the local radar. It was only a matter of…"

"Shut the fuck up! He shouted, interrupting Maura in her explanation. Jane wasn't sure if it was anger or amazement his face was showing at Maura's ability to sprout facts under pressure.

"Oh," Maura looked shocked at his outburst before glancing at Jane in confusion. Jane shook her head as if to say 'not now.' Luckily the ME easily read the hidden message and stayed quiet.

"Sit down," the man snarled.

Jane and Maura shot worried looks at each other before they moved over to stay close to where Barry Frost had been sitting. When the steward saw what they were doing he said. "No, spread out, I don't want you being able to talk to each other."

Maura had just been lowering herself into a seat and paused at the command. Sparing a glance at Jane she noted the slight nod the taller woman was giving her and acquiesced by moving back to where she had been sitting originally. Jane moved so she was close to the rear of the fuselage, knowing that the strong boxes were only a few feet from her position. However it would take precious seconds to unlock the boxes, and she didn't think the steward would hesitate using his own weapon, and the time it would take to unlock her box was time she simply didn't have. Maura was at the front of the jet, Frost sat centrally and she was at the rear. This was not going well.

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**Boston: **

"Don't give me that," Sean Cavanagh roared into the phone as he paced alongside the length of his desk. "You got my people into this, so you'd better find out what's going on pretty damned sharpish or they'll be media uproar the likes of Boston, if not the entire United States has never seen before. Am I getting through to you idiots?" He ground out the final sentence with deliberate clarity. Grunting at the response he got he threw the phone down, completely missing the receiver, ran his hands through his hair and yelled into the night. "FUCK!"

Vince Korsak winced in sympathy at his boss' dilemma, and letting him calm down for a moment he finally asked. "Do they know what's happened?"

"Not a fucking clue, the plane disappeared without any notification of problems, they can't trace it at all. They even had a couple of rescue helicopters up in the air looking within the first half hour. So far there's no sign of them. The weather is closing in, a storm system that was to the north came further south and west than they were expecting, so they have to pack it in for the night."

"Ah jeez, what do we tell Angela?"

"That her daughter and the woman she sees as another daughter are missing. Can you look after things here for a while? I think it would be best if she heard it from me, not some nameless nitwit the brass assign."

Vince instantly waved his hands in agreement. "Yeah, sure, tell her we're all thinking about her."

Snorting as he gathered his coat Sean replied. "You can tell her yourself, I expect we'll have Angela camped out here while we try and track down the plane. Would you try and keep her away?"

Running a tired hand through his beard Vince sighed. "No, I guess not, that woman's a force of nature when it comes to her kids, or the people she loves."

Opening the door Sean paused for a moment. "You've got that right." Then left before Vince could comment further.

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**Alaska: **

"Do the pilots have clearance to fly on instruments only as per aviation protocol? That allows them to fly safely into low cloud as we are doing now. Most pilots on a plane of this type should be cleared." Maura had been battling with herself for the last fifteen minutes, and as the weather had noticeably deteriorated she couldn't help but blurt out her concerns. It was obvious the pilots were in on this, and it worried her that they might not be the ones who would normally fly this jet.

"Are you for real?" The steward said exasperated. "Of course they're fucking cleared."

Before he could say anything else they hit a particularly bad bit of turbulence and the steward lost his footing. Jane made her move and lunged for her strong box, but with a speed that she hadn't anticipated the steward was back on his feet and had his gun pressed so hard against Maura's temple the blond woman couldn't suppress a whimper. "One more step Detective and the sweet Doctor won't be joining you for the rest of your journey."

Barry Frost looked terrified after the jet gave another strong jolt, and said in a worried tone. "You wouldn't fire. The bullet could bring us down if it pierces the plane." He gulped as another bout of turbulence hit.

"It's alright Barry," Maura said calmly, not sure why she was convinced it would be acceptable to talk to the younger man given that she had a gun to her head. "It's a misnomer that bullets would hurt the cabin space, they have done extensive testing. The integrity of the fuselage wouldn't be compromised, especially at this altitude." Gradually the pressure of the gun barrel against her head eased and Maura started to breathe a little more freely.

"Smart lady," the steward said before turning his attention back to Jane. "Now Detective Rizzoli, I suggest you get back into your seat and stay there. I won't give you a warning next time, I'll just be putting a bullet into that pretty brain of hers. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes," Jane snarled at him, furious that he had put Maura in danger like that. It was her one major weakness, it always had been. The moment she had said. 'Whatever you want, I can get it' the day Maura had been kidnapped by her own biological Father was the moment she knew she finally had an Achilles heel. Sure, she would protect her family and her partners at the BPD with a fierceness that was unrivaled However, when it came to Maura Isles, this was somebody she would protect at all costs, to her dying breath if that's what it took. And right now, being so out of control of the situation was driving Jane insane with worry.

"Very good, let's settle down, it won't be long now and then you'll have all the answers you need. And probably some answers you don't want." The laugh the steward gave was chilling and the other three people all shivered in reaction at the finality of the man's tone.

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**Boston: **

"Sean, what a pleasant surprise," Angela said as she opened the door to Maura's home, smiling broadly at the lieutenant. "Come in, come in," she stepped aside as she spoke. "I was just feeding the animals before I got something to eat for me and Tommy. Would you care to join us?"

The Lieutenants' nervous demeanor completely bypassed the older Rizzoli to start with, it wasn't until she noticed that he hadn't followed her in from the hallway and stood looking more worried than she had ever seen him look before that she finally began to panic herself. "Sean, what is it? Is Frankie alright?" He hands flew to her face in horror when she thought that something bad might have happened to her son.

"Oh, no Frankie is fine, still at the precinct I promise." Spying Tommy Rizzoli glance up with a confused look on his face from the sofa where he was watching the sports channel, Sean gestured in that direction. "Look, let's join Tommy and I'll explain." Quietly he guided Angela to sit beside her son, and watched as Tommy instinctively took hold of his Mother's hand in his own, providing the older woman with a lifeline as Sean broke the silence. "I promise Frankie is fine, but you need to know that the plane Jane, Maura and Barry Frost were on is missing."

"No," Angela half screamed shaking her head violently in disbelief. "No, that can't be right, where is it? Has it crashed? What have they told you?"

Tommy sat dumbstruck for a moment before saying gently. "Ma, calm down, I'm sure it's not that bad," he waited to see if his words had any affect before saying in a more commanding tone. "Ma! You need to let the Lieutenant speak."

With tears coursing down her cheeks Angela finally pulled herself together. Taking the cue from Tommy's nod of his head, Sean continued. "We don't know much more than that. It could be that they have had instrument trouble and found themselves in the wrong place and unable to radio their position. There's a storm coming in from the north that hit sooner than was expected, so they could have set down on a private landing strip to wait out the storm. At this stage we just don't know." Sean hated not being able to provide any further details, and he hoped that his optimism wasn't misplaced.

Angela was quiet for a moment before saying in a voice strained and husky by crying. "But they could have crashed in the Alaskan wilderness?"

He couldn't lie. "Yes, they could have crashed." he replied somberly.

"Constance," Angela suddenly gasped. "Oh my God, does she know?"

Sean shook his head sadly. "No yet, they were trying to get hold of her when I left, the brass promised they'd have somebody the Isles know break the news. With their connections I expect Constance will be heading here as soon as she can."

"Then I need to get the house ready," Angela sniffed, getting unsteadily to her feet. "I need …." She trailed off looking lost. "I need …." She tried again but couldn't continue.

"Ma, you don't need to do anything, I'm sure Maura's Mother will understand." Tommy stood as he spoke and wrapped his arms around Angela. Finding no resistance as he set his Mother back down Tommy turned his attention to the Lieutenant. "You'll let us know the moment there's news?"

"Of course," Sean stood as well. "I'll see myself out. You take care of your Mother. I'll send Frankie back in a little while. If you want you could all come to the precinct tomorrow, wait for news with us." Tommy nodded grateful for the invitation, and so, feeling more wretched than he had ever done before, Sean left for the lonely drive back to the precinct.

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**Alaska:**

Buffeted by the storm, the jet was now hitting so much turbulence that they had all done up their lap belts, and the steward had sat next to Maura and strapped himself in. He looked cool, calm and totally unconcerned by the weather. Suddenly Jane heard a shift in the noise the engines were making and she looked at Maura questioningly.

"We're setting down," Maura confirmed simply as Jane felt the accompanying popping of her ears when the pressure equalized.

"Very good Doctor," the steward said in a condescending tone. "But I think you'll soon wish we hadn't."

"Why?" Maura cocked her head to one side curiously.

"You'll find out in about ten minutes time, never fear dear Doctor Isles, it will become apparent." And relaxing for the landing the man at her side closed his mouth in a firm line, clearly indicating that the time for conversation was over, at least for the time being.

The landing was far from smooth, and Jane wasn't sure if that was due to the overall state of the landing area, or if the storm had caused the landing strip to get clogged with ice or snow. Looking out of the window she could see the icy rain beating down against the glass, and just looking at it made her shiver. Wherever they were, she knew it was not going to a pleasant place to be. Finally the plane ground to a halt although the engines were kept running. The steward got up and wordlessly started to open the door against the elements. Reaching for a collapsible ladder that he had hidden away by the front access he gestured with his gun. "Right, time for you all to leave, we'll get your luggage though, don't worry about that." When nobody stirred his face turned feral. "Well, I'm not hanging around to wait until doomsday, move!"

Jane got up first, Frost soon followed, and Maura brought up the rear. Making her way down the ladder Jane was blown around by the force of the wind and the stinging rain, and the moment her feet touched the ground she pulled down on the last rung of the ladder help keep it stable for the other two. The moment Maura was at her side she let go, she was damned if she would make the stewards job any easier. Unable to see clearly in the dark and the rain, Jane glanced around hopeful that she might spot something that she could use as a weapon, but nothing was close to where they stood. All she could make out were the dark forbidding outlines of trees that surrounded them on all sides, a good thirty foot away. Knowing that it would be fruitless to try and scout around she wrapped an arm around Maura's shoulder and pulled the ME closer to her. Feeling the shorter woman shiver Jane turned and wrapped her arms around Maura's waist pulling them together, murmuring in her ear. "It'll be okay Maur, I promise," Jane spoke with more conviction than she felt, but they had beaten Hoyt, she had to hope they would beat this. Maura returned the hug before they broke apart, but she still stayed close to Jane.

The steward dropped to the ground gracefully, as if he'd been getting out of aircraft in such an unconventional manner all his life, urgently he waved his hand towards the cargo hold. The pilot must have released a latch as they found they could get to their luggage already. "Grab your gear folks this is where you get off."

"What do you mean, where are we going?" Jane demanded to know as they pulled their luggage free.

The steward laughed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm heading back out on the plane, we'll set down close to our destination and simulate a crash. When they find us we'll tell them that you decided to strike out on your own against all our advice. They'll be so busy looking for you there, they'll never find you. The nearest settlement in any direction from here is hundreds of miles away. By the time they work out what happened, you should have succumbed to the elements, and we'll all be home free." Laughing again at their stricken looks he grabbed the ladder and started to haul himself aboard, being careful to raise each rung as he went so they had no chance of following him. Before they heard the clang of the door shutting the final parting words were. "But we're not being totally heartless!" And Jane realized the boxes containing their weapons were sailing over their heads towards the rear of the jet. Desperately she tried to make out where they landed and scrambled after them. Swearing as she struggled to remove the key from her pocket with hands that were becoming colder by the second she yelled. "Frost, can you see them?"

Hearing the increased roar of the engines as the plane started to get ready to take off, the younger man's reply was drowned out, and unexpectedly Jane found herself pushed further away from the plane, and further away from where the boxes had landed. Realizing the ME had been the one manhandling her away from the landing strip Jane struggled against Maura, straining to make herself heard above the noise. "Damn it Maura, what are you doing, we need our guns if we're going to stop them!"

"No," the ME shouted back. "If you stay there the backdraft from the jet engines will be bad enough to seriously injury, even kill you."

Jane felt the hope she had experienced upon seeing the boxes being thrown out leave her, dying like a candle's flame being snuffed out, Maura would not have lied, she was lucky she had the Doctor at her side, saving her from what she had no doubt the steward had intended, injury or worse. That knowledge didn't stop her swearing though. "Well fuck," she looked around at the surrounding wilderness, the plane now out of sight on the landing strip, they were miles from anywhere, or anybody, and the weather was getting worse by the moment, snow was starting to mingle with the icy rain.

The noise from the jet engines slowly faded into nothing. "Now what the Hell do we do?" Jane finally said to the others, seeing as much fear in their eyes as she was sure was showing in her own.

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	4. Chapter 4: First Things First

**Authors Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, follows etc. **

**I promise I do read each and every review. Please continue to let me know what you think of the story so far. **

**This chapter has not been beta read so I'm sorry if there are any glaring errors. If you spot anything major please do let me know so I can correct it, especially as I have an extremely bad habit of thinking one word and typing out another. This has already happened in the previous chapter and it was kindly pointed out to me, which allowed me to edit the mistake.**

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Chapter four: First Things First.

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**Alaska:**

Once they'd located the strong boxes and scrambled to get on some waterproof and warm clothing, all three dug out some torches, and before long Maura was the first to make a move. "We need to get a shelter of some kind sorted out, Barry, Jane please can you help me with the rest of my luggage."

Jane blinked in surprise and said. "Maura, we can't possibly take all that, it's just too much."

"It's only until we find a suitable place to build a camp," Maura reassured her. "And I've got some items in there that might help us, but we don't have time to debate this, we need to get a shelter of some kind set up before we all end up with severe hypothermia."

"Okay, okay," and although the rain, and then the following heavy snow, had stopped for the time being, the wind was still strong and the temperature had plummeted, Jane was getting too cold to even think about arguing. That alone told her that Maura had a very valid point. So slinging her backpack over her shoulders, and placing her carry on and laptop bag on top of two of the large suitcases that Maura pointed towards, she took them in her hands and nearly collapsed under the weight. These definitely hadn't been the two cases that she'd carried out to the limousine. "Jesus Christ on a crutch Maura, what have you got in here, gold frigging bars!"

"No," Maura struggled with two more suitcases. "But considering where we were going, I thought it likely that they wouldn't have the same standard of laboratory or CSU equipment that I'm used to having at my disposal. So I packed a lot of equipment that I thought we might need, both for in the morgue and out in the field."

Barry Frost had wordlessly collected the last two suitcases, and luckily like Jane he was using a backpack which he'd swung over his shoulders to carry.

"Please tell me you packed a nice large warm tent," Jane grunted as she staggered over towards the tree line that seemed most sheltered from the wind.

"No," Maura puffed out large billowing breaths of vapor in the freezing night air as she struggled to keep up with her friends' longer stride. "However I did bring a couple of large tarpaulins which we can use as the basis for a shelter, plus there is some bedding that we can use once they are set up."

"Bedding?" Barry queried. "Why did you bring bedding?"

"I don't like using other people's bed linens because of Cimex lectularius." At Frost's blank look Maura sighed and added. "Bed bugs Barry."*

"Oh right," he said, nearly tripping headlong over a tree root. They were well into the tree line now, and Maura seemed to be scouring the landscape for something in particular, suddenly she stopped and said. "Ah ha, over there, that will do nicely," and without waiting for a reply she turned sharply to her left and made her way over to a very large pine tree that had lost quite a few of its lower branches on one side, but was still well covered on the other. To the front of the tree sat a small round clearing, but the trees that surrounded the clearing had a very dense needle cover and that helped block out the wind. Setting her cases down Maura looked around the tree and said. "It appears the branches that have the most pine needles on will help shelter us from the prevailing wind," she then looked at the cases Barry was carrying and added. "We need the suitcase in your right hand opened first please Barry."

Plonking the case down less gently than Maura had done with hers, Frost swung it around until the ME could get at the locks.

"What about mine?" Jane asked. "Are you going to need these any time soon?"

"No," came the reply, and although Maura had her back turned to Jane, the taller woman could almost see the concentration radiating from the Doctor. The locks opened and without needing to dig too deeply Maura pulled out a folding saw.

"What on earth were you going to use that on?" Jane asked incredulously, visions of limb amputations of years gone by going through her mind. "That's not exactly standard morgue equipment."

Maura turned towards the Detective. "No, you're right, it isn't, but I thought it might come in handy when we went to the cabin." Handing Jane the saw she added. "Can you please cut some straight branches off the surrounding trees, about six foot in length, and as wide as you can manage. We need enough to make a slightly raised platform to sleep on," she also handed Jane some thin rope. "Here, use this to tie the limbs together. If you find any dead wood that's off the ground, please note where it is because that will make the best firewood, seasoned but not too wet from being in contact with the soil."

Taken by surprise Jane wordlessly took the implement and rope, and then nodded before shaking her head in disbelief that Maura knew all that, finally the detective turned to the task allotted her. Behind her she heard Maura saying to Frost. "Barry, can you please help me with these tarpaulins, if we can set them up around this tree like a tepee we should be able to get some kind of fire lit inside."

"You got it Doc," he replied, and set about working out the best way of securing the tarpaulins to the pine.

In the darkness it took close to an hour, and by the time they were finished they were all tired, extremely cold, hungry and thirsty. Finally satisfied that they had rigged things up as best they could for now, Maura and Jane went to get some wood cut for a fire, and Frost went around collecting small branches that had thick pine cover on them. Those branches would be used as an insulator on the majority of the floor in their shelter, as well for a mattress on the bed area. Frost also hunted around for some stones that would be suitable to contain a fire pit on the ground not covered by insulation. By the time he had finished, his partner and the ME had carried over several armfuls of logs, which Maura was sure would last them the remainder of the night and into the morning. Reaching into her purse she pulled out some waterproof matches and tore off a small amount of cotton from a tank top that she got from a suitcase. Maura then used the cotton as kindling to get a blaze going in the central part of the shelter. It wasn't a terribly impressive fire because things were so damp, but it was a flame, which was warming and it also served to light up the immediate area and for that they were all grateful.

The smoke rose gracefully out of the small hole left in the top of the shelter for that purpose, and it allowed them to pull a flap of tarpaulin over the entrance to help conserve their heat even more. Sinking down onto the makeshift bed area they all took a moment to catch their breath.

"Jane, do you have your pocketknife?" Maura finally asked.

Hunting in a side pocket of her backpack Jane said. "Yeah, I do," as she produced the pocketknife for Maura to see.

Maura visibly brightened. "Oh good, we can make some tea." She exclaimed happily.

Jane looked at Maura, and then looked at her pocketknife, looked at Maura once more with narrowed eyes before saying _very_ carefully. "Maur, it's a pocketknife not a teakettle."

"Oh I know that silly, what I meant was we could use one of the strong boxes your guns were in to melt and heat some snow, and if you carve some rudimentary cups out of timber with the pocketknife we could make some tea using pine needles. I saw it on a TV documentary once, it is very high in vitamin C and the warmth will do us all the world of good, plus we need to keep up our fluid intake."

"You're serious," Jane said doubtfully. "Pine needles!"

Barry Frost shrugged his shoulders and said. "Hey, we know the Doc watches all those weird and wonderful documentaries, if they're gonna help us get through this mess I wouldn't care if it was donkey dung that made good tea. I say we go for it. I'll take my box, scoop up some fresh snow and while I'm out there I'll get some clean pine needles from another tree. Plus I've got some chips we can have with the tea for our meal tonight."

"Alright," Jane reached over and picked up what she hoped would be a suitable piece of wood to whittle down while Barry let himself out of the shelter.

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When Barry returned he could see that Maura had also put the time to good use. What looked like a plastic mattress cover lay on the pine mattress, helping to protect them from any wetness left over in the boughs. And on top of that lay several king sized sheets and a thick comforter of the same size. Two small travel pillows that needed to be blown up completed the area, and given the circumstances it looked very inviting. It would be a tight fit, but there was room for all three of them to lie down together. He hoped Maura would take the middle spot. Not only would it be too weird sleeping next to his partner like that, he was protective of the ME and he was sure Jane felt the same way. The middle position would guarantee a higher chance of a warmer, and so hopefully, a better night's rest, and because Maura seemed to have the most knowledge about what to do, it made sense to protect her.

Smiling at him Maura reached over and placed the strong box on the fire, making sure she could easily get to the side of it - with a cloth from the tank top she had used earlier - to lift it for pouring when the water was hot enough. Jane looked pleased with herself and sitting down in the dancing firelight Barry could make out a couple of cup like shapes by her feet. There was a final piece in Jane's hand and she was frowning slightly in concentration as she finished it off.

'_Now all we need to do is sort out some food,'_ he thought. '_And we might actually have a chance of surviving this God dammed Fubar.' _

Handing over some the branches of fresh pine to the ME, Maura smiled at him, and began stripping the needles off the branch, allowing them to fall and steep in the rapidly melting snow. Taking his cue from Maura, Barry began to do the same on the branch he held in his hands. For a long while the only sounds were of the three of them breathing, the soft scrap of Jane's knife along the wood, the crackle and spitting of the fire and the soft plopping noise of pine needles hitting the surface of the water. Used to traffic and people in the ambient surroundings of Boston Barry found the silence unsettling at first, but once he got used to it, he quite enjoyed not having that constant barrage of noise all around him.

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It had, they'd decided, not been a bad night overall. There had been a fresh fall of snow, and surprised at how warm the shelter had become they'd managed to sleep relatively well, taking it turns to stay awake to stoke the fire. Now they had daylight to work with they planned to supplement and strengthen their position. The weather was very similar to the evening before, windy and bitingly cold, but at least dry for the moment. Barry was going to take a walk around and see if he could find any food sources. Both he and Jane would carry their guns in case they got the chance to kill any wildlife, but with a limited number of bullets available to them, they were hoping there might be a lake or stream nearby that supported fishing. Starting the day off with the remainder of the previous night's chips, washed down with yet more pine needle tea, the three of them had agreed the tea could have tasted a lot worse. Admittedly it could have tasted better, but it was warm and provided them with a valuable vitamin and oddly a feeling of normality to begin the day.

Barry had belatedly remembered about an old pocketknife of his that was in the bottom of his backpack. So he dug that out to take with him. His Father may not have been a loving man, but growing up as a military brat meant Frost had been taught how to hunt, skin and gut animals of varying types from an early age. A deer would look really good right about now, but somehow Barry didn't think they'd be that lucky. Along with his gun and knife Maura had given him a compass from her equipment and that would allow him to scout out a different direction each day until he hopefully found a good hunting spot.

Jane and Maura were going to stay closer to the camp, and with the saw they planned to cut as much firewood as they could store along the floor, and outer edge of the shelter, and they also wanted to weigh down the bottom outer edge of the tarpaulin with thickly covered pine boughs to aid cutting out any drafty areas and insulation. The natural mattress had proven to be a bit thin, so they would also enhance that part of the shelter. Jane was going to look out for suitable pieces of wood for carving. If Frost managed to find food she wanted at least one large platter of some kind that they could use for eating. If she was really lucky there might even be a branch or two that could be easily shaped into eating utensils like forks and spoons.

Maura wanted to go through what supplies they had with them once they had finished the rest of the jobs on their list. She knew things like the thicker rope that she had packed might be invaluable in the days ahead, and given that there would be no rescue parties looking for them in this area, she had little doubt that they needed to try and think in the long term, days maybe even weeks of living off the land were likely. To that end she had spied a hazel tree last night when she was helping Jane, and although it was far too late in the season, she wanted to take a look just in case there were a few precious nuts left on the branches, or scattered along the ground. And generally, where there was one hazel tree, there were others very close by.

The three of them set out from camp at the same time wishing each other good luck. Subconsciously – as they moved through the forest - Jane and Maura ended up migrating closer to each other, Jane marking trees every so often with arrows so they could navigate their way back to camp safely. A comfortable silence settled around them, and Maura linked her hand under one of Jane's elbows and said almost reverently, as if she was afraid to break the spell. "Do you ever think of love Jane?"

"Sometimes," the taller woman answered honestly. "What has brought this on?"

"Oh I don't know," Maura sighed. "I think it's because we've been close to dying so many times over the last couple of years, and here we are again, fighting for survival. It's made me retrospective. Take Ian for example, I thought he was the love of my life and that he loved me, but if he truly loved me he would have made an effort to compromise and make a life together. Now I realize he was happy just having a relationship where we could use each other for sex and emotional comfort every so often. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't abusive in any way, just …" Maura trailed off for a moment while she organized her thoughts into words. "It was just convenient and safe for both of us," she finally finished.

"I kinda feel the same way about Casey," Jane admitted. "I think if things were slightly different we could have made it work and I like seeing him, but these days I'm not entirely sure how much I actually love him. For him the military will always come first, and I'm just not cut out for that type of life."

Arriving at a slight clearing in the forest they realized there was a partly downed tree that would yield a large amount of logs, patting Maura's hand as it rested on her arm Jane said. "But we can't really think about that now, we've got work to do."

Smiling sadly Maura withdrew her hand and immediately missed the warmth and comfort that the tactile touch with Jane had provided. "You're right," she agreed. "Let's get busy."

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Agreeing to meet Barry Frost and Jane back at the campsite at lunchtime Maura had been delighted to find a good number of nuts left on the hazel trees she had spotted the night before. Not much in the way of nutrients, but more importantly it would keep food in their stomachs for the moment. Making a carrying sack out of a jumper she stripped the trees bare of their bounty and feeling very pleased with herself she strolled back into camp. To immediately be greeted by the sight of Barry skinning a snowshoe hare outside the shelter.

"Oh, you got something," she said in a pleased tone.

"Yeah, and I was lucky as well, didn't even need to use a bullet, I stumbled across the thing as it was leaving its nest, obviously not used to humans disturbing the peace. I managed to hit it over the head with a branch I was carrying at the time. Only dazed it to start with, but it was enough to get a swift kill blow in."

Jane appeared from around the back of the shelter with both strong boxes full of snow and said. "Frost, what gets me is how you can calmly skin and gut that thing, and yet you puke at the slightest spot of blood or gore when you're at a crime scene or in the morgue. I just don't get it."

"It's called the human element," the ME explained. "Barry reacts that way not because of the blood and gore, but because he feels a lot of compassion for the human race in general and it upsets him to see man's inhumanity to man."

Jane thought about it for a moment and then nodded, reaching down to place the boxes on the fire. "Okay so it's an emotional reaction not a visual one, that makes sense, so why choose to be a Homicide Detective?"

"Because I'm good at what I do, and those poor victims need a voice, and between them we give them that voice." Barry looked up at his partner while he was speaking. "I happen to believe we're about the best of the best, and if I have to endure the humiliation of puking my guts out in order to get a killer off the streets then it's all worthwhile."

"Wow Frost, that's actually a brave thing to do," and both Jane's face and voice conveyed her admiration for his actions. "I wish I'd thought to ask you about it sooner, I'm sorry I didn't."

Barry smiled. "No worries partner, it's enough that we're talking about it now." Finishing with the hare he picked up a branch that he'd obviously fashioned to use as a spit above the fire and attached the hare to it. "Who's ready for food?"

"Oh God, I am," Jane said just as her stomach rumbled loudly. "How long do you think it will take to cook that thing?"

"Not too sure," Barry admitted. "But treating it like chicken, I would think thirty to forty minutes should do it."

"Here Jane," Maura said to take her mind off it. "You can help me sort and clean these nuts ready for our meal tonight and breakfast in the morning. There should be plenty for us all to have a small handful now as a starter."

"Just show me what you want doing," the brunette agreed immediately. And despite the gravity of our situation the others laughed at her eagerness.

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'_It's amazing how the simplest of ingredients can taste so wonderful when you're that hungry.'_ Jane thought to herself. _'I think we sucked the entire carcass of its juices once we'd eaten the meat, just to continue filling our mouths with the taste._'

Barry looked pleased with himself, and rightly so, finding that hare had been a real boon. Even Maura looked like she was contemplating chewing a bone at one point but thought better of it. Finally Jane was starting to feel a little more hopefully about the situation. So long as they could keep finding food, she was sure that the Detectives they'd left behind in Boston would eventually work out that the pilots and the steward on the plane were lying. And once that happened she then had to hope that they could get those men to tell them which area of Alaska needed searching for their rescue.

Once they had cleared up from the meal Maura opened one suitcase and handed Frost three long coils of thin wire that could be adapted to make a fishing line and a snare or two for smaller animals. Frost then left camp to carry on with his investigations, and Jane gave Maura a hand to go through their supplies. To start with they went through what the ME had packed in her suitcases. The haul was quite impressive. The rope Maura had thought about earlier was the first item Jane came across, and then there was a small lantern that could be operated by a wind up handle, followed by a solar charger for their phones. And although the phones were of no use, Maura thought that being able to listen to music at times would help them emotionally. Maura also had a solar charger for her torch, and one for heating water in a gallon plastic bag that could be used as an emergency shower. The ME must have brought the latter item to use at the cabin Jane realized. Finding a small folding shovel Jane looked at Maura quizzically and asked. "Why did you pack this?"

"In case I needed to sieve through any dirt out at the cabin, but we need to think about an area for personal hygiene, and so I thought we could dig a hole in the area we choose so we can keep things as clean as possible. I have some tissues we can use up to start with, but we also need to think about rags than can be washed out for some parts of our hygiene, it's an idea I had from something the Romans used to do. I have some clothes that I'm prepared to sacrifice."

Jane thought about that for a moment, recognizing now was not the time to be squeamish about such things and nodded. "There's that slight dip just the other side of the cleaning opposite the shelter, it's close enough to be useful, but far enough away to be private. And thank you for giving up your clothes like that, I know how much they mean to you"

"A good place," Maura agreed. "And yes, it pains me, but our survival is the most important thing right now. Let's rig the rope up between here and there, and then we can use it as a guide line if we have a whiteout." Jane nodded at the ME fondly, grateful she was there because Jane knew she would not have thought of that until a white out happened, and in semi-silence they carried on taking stock of their items.

There were also the waterproof matches, and a flint striker, with those Maura had several large packets of dried fruit, but as she explained to Jane she didn't want to open those unless they absolutely had to, which made sense. Alongside that both Jane and Frost had several chocolate bars in their luggage, plus Frost had one more lot of chips which they added to the food pile. If they couldn't hunt for the majority of their food then those packets could become a lifeline. There were the sheets and comforter and plastic mattress cover. And while Maura hadn't got any kind of pocketknife, she did have a few scalpels with her that could be useful when preparing food for cooking. The compass Maura had already given to Barry, which left various small bits of laboratory equipment that might have uses later on, especially a couple of small carrying cases that could be used on the fire in the same manner as the strong boxes.

Unsurprisingly there was a small but well-equipped first aid kit, which they placed in a strategic position inside the shelter. Maura was very good about being practical, and sorted through her clothes ruthlessly, making sure the really warm stuff was locked away in one of her waterproof suitcases. Anything that could be used as extra bedding was laid out on the sleeping area. Looking at the four cases that were now empty the ME turned and said to Jane. "Can you think of any way of using those?"

Jane wrinkled her forehead in thought before finally saying. "I think a couple might make a good seat if we can find a way of raising them off the ground. And the other two could be placed on top of a pile of logs outside the shelter to protect them from getting too wet, and if the weather turns bad, we won't have to make too many trips to and from camp just to keep the fire stoked up."

The huge smile the ME gave Jane told the taller woman that she had come up with something workable, and so Jane didn't resist when Maura took hold of her one arm and lead her towards the edge of camp, close to the hazel trees.

"I saw some larger lumps of wood over here this morning," Maura explained.

"And you're just after me for my muscles," Jane joked when she saw the pieces of wood Maura was talking about.

Only to pause when she saw the way the Doctor raked her eyes over her arms and shoulders before she said in a low tone. "You know me so well Detective."

And there is was, that feeling Jane had been fighting for so long, the attraction towards the ME, and part of the reason why she would protect the smaller woman to her dying breath. Shaking the feeling off knowing now was not the time. Jane picked up one of the more promising pieces of timber and led the way back to camp.

By the time Barry Frost returned darkness was just starting to fall. When he entered the slight clearing Jane looked up from smoothing out the carving of the cups she had made the day before and said. "How did your afternoon go?"

He looked quite pleased. "Better than I hoped, there were a few paths that indicated areas where animals have been passing through on a regular basis, so I left three snares, and I found a small spring, I'm going to try and follow that tomorrow and see if it leads into anything larger."

While they had been talking Maura had put some water on to make some more tea and Jane handed the wooden cups over when Barry sat down. Looking grateful for the warming drink he relaxed and once they had all got a drink to hand Jane raised her cup and said. "Well, here's to our second night in paradise.

"To Paradise," the other two echoed.

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	5. Chapter 5: Day One and Counting

**Authors Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, follows etc. **

**I promise I do read each and every review. Please do continue to let me know what you think of the story so far. **

**For those of you who have said in their reviews that they liked the way I have described things. Thank you, I have only used my own knowledge from living in a rural area all my life, plus a documentary I saw once which gave me the idea for the shelter and tea. As for the bits and pieces Maura had with her, I think they are all within character in light of where they were going. Plus she does watch a large number of documentaries. Some of what Maura produced is stuff I have carried around with me as a matter of course when I used to go out and about in the countryside especially during bad winter weather. You can survive a lot with a flint striker, wire, folding saw, pocketknife and compass. **

**This chapter has not been beta read so I'm sorry if there are any glaring errors. If you spot anything major please do let me know so I can correct it, especially as I have an extremely bad habit of thinking one word and typing out another. This has already happened in another chapter and it was kindly pointed out to me, which allowed me to edit the mistake. Plus I **_**really hate**_** making mistakes. :o)**

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Chapter five: Day One and Counting.

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**Boston: **

Meanwhile in Boston, the first twenty-fours of the plane going missing passed in a completely different manner.

Vince, Sean and Riley had only left the previous evening to get a wash, change of clothes and a couple of hours sleep before they arrived back on scene very early that morning. They seemed reduced to waiting for phone calls, and to pass the time they concentrated on the files from Alaska. Crowe had begged off because of a court appearance that day, but he was under no illusions that the Lieutenant expected him back at the BPD as soon as he was free. And no matter how he felt about Jane, Crowe knew that his colleagues were in trouble and that it was a time when everybody had to pull together, regardless of personal feelings.

Setting up in the BRIC, Frankie arrived an hour ahead of Angela and Tommy and warned the Lieutenant that the others would be coming over once Constance had flown in. The older man raised his eyebrows in surprise and said. "She's been in touch with your Mother already?"

"Yeah," Frankie said as he sat down. "Late last night, she was flying overnight from Europe, and Ma wanted to make sure she didn't arrive to an empty property. And Tommy decided to stay with Ma so she wasn't waiting for Constance alone."

Sean blew out a heavy breath. "Probably a good job they have each other to lean on during this, they're gonna need all the help they can get."

Frankie nodded before adding. "I'd better warn you though, Ma's been cooking like it's an Olympic sport, she'll be bringing in enough food to feed the five thousand."

"That won't necessarily be a bad thing. "Vince Korsak decided. "Times like this it's too easy to end up eating crap, it'll be nice to have something homemade to hand. I know it's going to be hard, but we can't do anything about the missing plane right now, so we might as well have a good look at the case in Alaska." The older Detective gestured to the computer Frankie was powering up. "And talking of which, I spent the night downloading the last of the files into the system, hopefully that will make cross-referencing easier."

"What do you want to look at first?" Frankie asked the older Detective. He knew Vince was right, and as much as he wanted to stay on the phone demanding information about the plane, Sean Cavanagh was already doing that job, and he had to have faith in their Lieutenant.

"Let's focus on where the victims might have come from, and how they might have arrived in Alaska if they weren't local." Korsak picked up on the points Jane and Barry had decided to investigate.

"I'll leave you to it," said Cavanagh. "I'm going to keep pressuring for news. They should have rescue teams back in place by now. Korsak please let me know when Angela and Mrs Isles arrive, and then bring them to me without delay."

"Will do," Vince said easily.

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As predicted Angela arrived an hour later with Constance and Tommy in tow, and all three were directed straight into Lieutenant Cavanagh's office.

"Please, have a seat," Sean said, his tone weary.

"Have you heard anything else Lieutenant?" Constance Isle's voice was measured, and her pose assured, but there was an undercurrent of worry if you looked hard enough. And like most good police officers, Sean Cavanagh instinctively knew how to look harder.

"I'm afraid not," he sighed. "The storm that halted their initial rescue efforts broke early this morning, and there are now four teams up in the air, but I haven't had any news since my last briefing, which was fifteen minutes ago. I'm afraid the bad news is they are expecting a major snow storm to strike the same area again sometime tomorrow."

"So if they haven't found them by then, it doesn't look hopeful," Constance pushed, sensing the Lieutenant was leaving something out.

"No," Sean admitted. "The storm is forecast to last at least five days."

"Do they have any theories about what might have happened?" This time is was Angela asking the question.

"I'm afraid all I can say is that if they had put down on a private landing strip to ride out the storm, then contact of some kind should have been established by now. The same goes for equipment failure, the common consensus is that the plane has crashed."

The silence that fell was almost deafening, and not for the first time Sean wondered what else his people and their families would have to put up with.

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Frankie was not as accomplished as Barry Frost with computers, however, he knew he could hold his own, and he was determined to try and find something that might help solve the case up in Alaska. To start with he made a list of the type of remains that were found, male, female, race, height and approximate age all went into the system to be compared against missing persons. As expected the initial result spewed out thousands of possible names. Thinking about how he could narrow the field, Frankie also added in approximate decomposition rate for each individual, it wasn't that accurate but he decided it was better than nothing. That helped slightly as each new piece of data was added to the profile. The numbers were still far too high though, and without a closer time of death for each victim he couldn't think of too much more that might help him with the search. With a resigned sigh he started to plod his way through the seemingly unending roll of names, Korsak had included photos of each victim in the download, so facial recognition was going to be the best bet for the time being.

Silently Riley and Korsak had sat down next to the younger officer, and pulling up the information on their computers started to run their own searches. At around lunchtime Angela made sure they were all fed, their thanks muted by frustration and worry. Crowe arrived back from court by 1500 hours, and commandeered the final computer in the BRIC while Angela, Constance and Tommy looked on in silence. Sean Cavanagh was still glued to his phone, trying to get updates every half hour. Each time he came out the information was the same, 'no further news.'

Finally he came out at 1600 hours with something that had them hoping their three family members and colleagues might be safe. "The crashed plane's been located," he said quietly. "But they haven't been able to reach it yet, although there appear to be at least three survivors on the ground."

Korsak swiveled around in his chair. "Where was it found?" He asked.

"Ninety miles south of the town, it was an area that they covered last might, but in the failing light they must have missed the crash site." Sean sighed. "They're hoping to get a team on the ground in the next half hour, we'll know more then."

Vince swiveled back to look at his computer screen, and Frankie noticed the contemplative look the older Detective had on his face. Korsak must have realized the younger Rizzoli was looking at him because he raised his eyes to Frankie's and shook his head. Whatever was going on with the Detective was not going to be discussed then. So Frankie nodded and returned to looking through the missing persons reports. It was going to be a long half hour.

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Angela was pacing along the back of the room, and Constance was sitting in a chair, not looking as composed as she had before because she kept checking the time on her watch and sighing loudly. Sean watched them through the glass doors for a short while, and he was pretty sure Maura's Mother was not even aware of her actions. Steeling himself to pass on the latest news he finally pushed open the doors. All the faces immediately turned in his direction, a mixture of hope, fear and apprehension could be seen on every countenance. "They've reached the survivors," he announced, and quickly holding up a hand to forestall the barrage of expected questions he added. "But they only found the pilots and the steward. All three have reported that Jane, Barry and Maura left the crash site to try and walk to safety."

"That's impossible," Constance exclaimed standing up in agitation, finally the fear she felt for her daughter overriding her upbringing. "Maura would know the best chance of being found would be to stay with the plane. She would never be so irresponsible!"

"Reports indicate that the survivors expressed their opposition to the plan and that they tried to stop them."

"I simply refuse to believe it," Constance said firmly. "That is not something my daughter would do."

"And if Maura wouldn't do it then Jane wouldn't do it either," Angela said with conviction. Tommy and Frankie both nodded their agreement.

Korsak shrugged a shoulder and added. "And you can bet where Jane is, Frost will be as well, it certainly doesn't sound like them to do something so reckless."

Rubbing a tired hand over his face Cavanagh could only silently agree with the others assessment. "Well here's the really bad news," he said. "I've been told that they will only be able to look for our people until the new storm closes in, after that they're on their own. And apparently with the snow they've had overnight there were no tracks that could be followed, only a general direction that the crew gave indicating they had struck out to the north of their position. The rescue effort is currently concentrated on retrieving the injured crew members, although none were seriously hurt."

"Why aren't they looking for our babies?" Angela wailed as she started to cry again. "They should be searching for our babies." She turned into Tommy's embrace, the tears now cascading uncontrollably down her face, and even Constance had given in to the desire to cry and was wiping tears away with a handkerchief.

"They weren't expecting to have to send out an extended search party, they aren't equipped for that type of rescue and they're not even sure if they can get the right type of search and rescue team in place before the weather turns again." Sean remembered the same argument he'd had on the phone to Alaska, incensed that more effort wasn't being made to find his three colleagues.

"Who is in overall charge of the operation?" Constance demanded to know.

"The mayor of the town, a place called Tellar Bay," Sean replied somewhat puzzled by the question.

"Well then Lieutenant," Constance pulled herself together. "Perhaps it is time to see if the Isle's name can have some impact up there. May I use your office?"

"Of course," he said, gesturing the way forward with a hand. "Please, be my guest."

"Thank you," and nodding her head graciously the older Isles made her way across to his office, the Lieutenant following on behind.

"Don't worry Ma," Tommy said, rubbing his Mother's back in comforting circles. "Jane's tough, Maura's smart, and Frost is adaptable between them they'll survive. And I bet once Constance starts throwing her weight around they'll be looking for them in no time."

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The next hour followed a similar pattern, the detectives worked on the case, and Angela and Tommy sat waiting for news while Angela handed out yet more refreshments. Nervously the older Rizzoli would occasionally look towards Sean's office wondering what was happening with Constance. Finally the door swung open and from the look on their faces Angela knew it wasn't good news.

"I'm sorry," Constance said as she entered the BRIC. "They're refusing to budge citing safety for the rescue teams."

Angela went and embraced the other woman. "It's alright," she reassured her. "I know you'll have done all you could."

"I'm ordering everybody home until at least 0600 hours tomorrow." The barrage of opposition to Sean's statement was instant and not unexpected. He let the anger die down before he continued. "They're not going to send out a search party tonight, and there is nothing we can do from here, if we get some rest then we'll be better placed for whatever happens tomorrow."

Korsak looked at his superior officer for a moment and said. "Can we send somebody from Boston to aid in the rescue effort?"

Sean looked at his Detective Sergeant suspiciously. "What have you got in mind Vince?"

The other man frowned and rubbed his hand along his beard, a clear sign that he was bugged by the situation. "Something about the whole thing stinks, and I'd like to know what it is."

"Are you suggesting you go up to question the crew members?"

"Yes," Vince answered slowly. "Yes, I think I am."

"Permission to go with him?" Frankie immediately stepped into the fray.

"I don't know," Sean said cautiously. "We'd be stepping on some pretty big toes. They've made it quite clear they want us to leave the rescue efforts up to them."

"They're the ones who insisted they all went up there in the first place!" Frankie exploded indignantly. "Sir please, I have to know what's happened to my sister."

Sean suddenly smiled as the answer came to him. "Of course you do, so I'm authorizing compassionate leave for you, and Korsak can take some personal time to accompany you, after all, we didn't want to send you up there on your own without some moral support."

"What?" Frankie suddenly floundered, taken aback somewhat by the about turn from his commanding officer. "You mean that?"

"Yes I do, the narcotics and gang units have already offered extra manpower if we needed it, no unit likes to see colleagues missing and if I'm not mistaken Angela and Mrs Isles…"

"Constance, please," Maura's Mother interjected.

Seam smiled. "Constance then. And I'm sure Angela and Constance will want to go so they can find out news about their daughters."

"That would be," Constance paused while she thought about the most suitable phrase. "More than acceptable Lieutenant. And I know just the people to get us up there quickly. If you'll excuse me for a moment"

"Of course," Sean stepped aside so Constance could go into the corridor to make a call from her cell phone. He then turned his attention back to the room. "Make me proud, go and bring our people home."

"Tommy," Angela turned to her youngest child. "You'll look after things here?"

"Yeah Ma, I'll stay at Maura's," he said without hesitation. "You go and get Jane so I can kick her ass for having us all so worried."

Korsak smiled. "Come on Frankie, let's go and get packed, Alaska here we come."

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"Another private plane?!" Frankie said incredulously, looking at the Gulfstream that sat at the airport awaiting their arrival.

"I'm afraid so," Constance Isles said apologetically. "The only available commercial flights would not have got us there before the storm hit, and I don't know about you but I refuse to waste another day trying to find out what has happened to our family and friends."

"No, it' alright," Frankie hurriedly assured the older woman. "I guess I just wasn't expecting it after what happened."

She patted him on the arm. "That is understandable, please allow the steward to deal with your luggage, and we can make our way on board."

"Oh, okay," and looking around Frankie could see the others had already done as Constance had asked, so he quickly handed over his case and followed Constance up the steps and into the planes interior.

Stopping and giving a low whistle for a moment Frankie wondered if his sister had been greeting by similar opulence, and if she had, he wondered what Jane's reaction might have been. Making his way over to where his Mother and Vince Korsak were already seated, he sat down and noted that Constance was having a talk to the pilot's before lift-off.

Maura's Mother came to sit in the one remaining seat of four situated around the table, and placing her purse down said. "The steward will bring out some drinks once we're airborne, I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty placing the order."

"That sounds fine," Vince said. "Did you ask about them flying us out the crash site if the mayor starts flexing his muscles and doesn't let us fly with the morning rescue team?"

"I did indeed, and that was a good point to have made as we were leaving the BPD Detective." Constance smiled at him. "The pilot assures me he is also qualified for rescue helicopter flying, and that a suitable machine is being transported up to Tellar Bay as we speak."

"Then I guess there is nothing we can do apart from try and get some rest, it's likely to be a long day tomorrow." Korsak reached out and took the offered beer from the steward. It was going to be a lengthy flight.

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**Alaska:**

By ten o'clock that night the temperature had noticeably dropped yet again, forcing the three of them to get under the bedding earlier than the previous night to keep warm. "How cold do you think it could get?" Jane asked, glad her teeth had finally stopped chattering. She'd gotten far too chilly going out to cut a bit more wood that evening, she'd become bored and against Maura's advice had left the shelter with torch and saw in hand. Upon her return the ME had told her off in no uncertain terms, Jane knew she wouldn't be making that mistake again.

"Minus 20 to 50 degrees Celsius is not unheard of in this part of the world," Maura replied as she moved around to get more comfortable.

"Damn, I was afraid you might say something like that!" Jane made sure there was no gap between her chin and the comforter. Then she reached under the sheets to wrap an arm around Maura to draw the shorter woman against her so they weren't losing too much precious warmth. "Is this alright?" She asked quietly, not wanting to embarrass Maura with the invasion of her personal space.

"Yes, it's fine," the ME replied, wishing they weren't in a position where being this close to the brunette was a matter of survival, she had longed for such closeness for a long time. Forcing her mind away from those thoughts, she snuggled against her best friend, and breathed a sigh of relief that for the time being they were still safe. Barry bless him had been the perfect gentleman, and only when both Jane and Maura told him to relax did he make sure he closed the gap on his side of the bed to preserve body heat.

Given the drop in temperature, they slept more fitfully that night, and emerged at seven o'clock to make some tea which they hoped would warm them up a little bit. Sitting hunched over the fire they decided what to do that day. Jane was determined to get some more logs cut, and she wanted to rig up some branches to help protect the toilet area that they had created the day before. Maura had decided to help her and Barry was going to see if his snares had caught anything edible, and then he planned to follow the spring he'd found to see if it led anywhere. Finally they couldn't put off going out into the even more frigid air any longer, and they made their way outside.

Taking a look at the gathering clouds Jane turned to Frost and said. "Don't go too far, it looks like it might snow, and if it does I don't want anybody lost out there."

"You've got it," he agreed readily. "I'll see you later." And he took off at a jog.

The predicted snow arrived a little over four hours later, ten minutes after they'd all got back to camp. Barry had two more hares with him, but he hadn't reset the traps, fearing they might get lost under a heavy fall of snow. The log pile was more impressive, and given that the snow was soon whipped up into a blizzard they knew they would need all that wood for precious warmth. Jane realized they hadn't returned to the camp a moment too soon. Given the way the snow was being blown around it was hard to keep it out of the shelter altogether, so Maura suggested they put the plastic cover over the top of the bed to keep protected and dry from the odd snow flurries that got pushed in through gaps of the tarpaulin. The boughs they were using as a mattress had dried off from being around the warming effects of the fire, and so Jane and Barry had easily agreed to the plan, it only took a couple of minutes to move things around.

They agreed to take turns keeping the entrance of the shelter clear of snow, they wouldn't do too much, really just making sure they could get out safely and not have the shelter so enclosed by drifts that they risked dangerous carbon monoxide build up. Discovering the top the shelter was letting in a considerable amount of snow from the gap they'd left for the fire smoke, Jane came up with a solution that helped somewhat. With her height she was able to reach up and place a densely covered fir branch across the opening, creating a bit of a barrier but not blocking off the all-important air flow, again they would be able to remove it and shake off any snow build-up.

Certain they couldn't do much more for the time being, they caught up on what Barry had discovered, and he spent the time dealing with the hares while he talked. Jane also sat down and did some more carving of utensils, while Maura kept an eye on the fire, heating some water for both tea and for Barry to wash his hands once he was done.

Using a platter Jane had carved the night before Barry set about skinning the first hare, he had already gutted them outside by the spring so there wasn't too much waste in and around the campsite. "I was right about those tracks supporting a lot of animals, and I saw evidence of more than one deer across the path," he said.

"Yeah," Jane said when Frost paused so that he didn't catch himself with the knife. "Think we'll be able to get one?"

"I don't see why not," Barry said. "We're both good enough marksmen to take one down, and if we can get some sort of hide in place then it should be an easy shot."

"In the meantime, this storm could last a while, so why don't we cook half a hare up for dinner tonight, and then open the last chips for breakfast and lunch, and then see what tomorrow brings." Maura suggested.

"Where would we store the other half and full hare?" Barry asked curiously.

Jane and Maura looked at each other before Maura pointed to the roof. "Up there, they can smoke slightly from the fire, and that should help preserve the meat in the short term."

"Our own version of pulled pork," Jane smirked.

Maura looked at Jane puzzled, and then at Frost when he laughed and reached up with his clean hand to give Jane a high five. "Good one partner." He said.

Seeing the Doctors continued puzzlement Jane gave her an explanation. "The best pulled pork is often spiced with a dry rub, then cooked and smoked low and slow, once it's cooked it's shredded and pulled apart, generally eaten in a bun like a burger or in a sandwich."

"Ah," quietly escaped Maura as comprehension dawned, and then she smiled. "That would be a fair analogy, and it was cleverly thought out Jane."

Jane bowed slightly and matched the ME's smile with one of her own. "Why thank you." She said before turning her attention back onto her partner. "And what about the spring, did you get anywhere with that?"

"I sure did," finishing Barry moved onto the second hare. "And it led into a stream, and I think I caught the glimpse of a lake through the trees by the end, but I had to turn back because of the weather. I've marked the route, so as soon as I get chance I want to go back and see what that is like."

"A lake would be a good prospect for fishing," Maura said thoughtfully, "And there is enough wire from the laboratory equipment to leave a line in the water with some hooks fashioned onto it as lures, but I'm not sure what you would bait it with."

"The guts from the hares," Barry said. "I hid them in a tree so hopefully they won't get disturbed by predators. They're not ideal but it would be better than nothing."

"It's gotta be worth a try," Jane commented. "If we don't need to cut that many logs by then, take Maura with you, it sounds as though that will be our best area for food sources and the more we can explore the better."

Barry finished the second hare, and using a stick to hang the carcasses from he handed the butchered meat to Jane. "Your turn partner, you'll be able to hang it in a much better position than me."

Jane mocked glared at him, but didn't argue, until she had to put her head in the same place the smoke was as it left the shelter. Unwittingly she sucked in a mouthful, and coughing and wheezing with eyes watering she sat down cursing quietly the whole time, waving off Maura's attempts to help her wash out the smoke from her eyes. Very wisely Frost kept quiet.

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**Tellar Bay: **

The Gulfstream reached Tellar Bay early the next morning. Disembarking, Frankie, Angela and Korsak were amazed to find Constance's influence had not only managed to have a search helicopter flown in, but there were also two cars waiting with drivers for their personal use. Once they got over the shock, they soon were heading to the guest house where they would be staying. After checking in and meeting the owner, a nice elderly lady by the name of Agatha, the group from Boston made their way to the local police department to see if there was any more news on the rescue. They were introduced to the chief of police, also the town's sheriff. He was a tall, willowy man by the name of Nick Adams, and he in turn phoned the mayor to tell him of their arrival. After being made to wait for what seemed like an overly rude amount of time the mayor finally made his way into the building, and looking at the group his dislike of them being there was obvious.

"Markus Rinds," he said briskly, not even offering to shake anybody's hand. "Frankly I don't know why you bothered to come all this way, we know they're alive, it's just a matter of finding them."

"Are you always this blunt with people?" Constance asked coldly, not hiding her instant distain for the short, squat, bearded man in front of them.

"Only when I think they're going to be a nuisance," he retorted angrily.

"Need I remind you, that it was at your personal request our family members and friends were placed in this intolerable position." Constance's cold politeness against Markus Rinds anger was controlled and Constance could see that the rest of the Boston group felt the same way she did. Even the sheriff and his deputy were looking embarrassed by the other man's rudeness.

"I am well aware of that, but if those city slickers hadn't been stupid enough to leave the crash site then we wouldn't be having this conversation." He sneered as he spoke, obviously implying that people from the city had no business being out in the wilds of Alaska.

"Mayor," the tone Constance used highlighted the title and also conveyed how little she thought he deserved the designation. "One thing I can categorically say about my daughter is that she is not stupid, and neither are her friends. All are highly competent individuals whose intelligent no doubt would surpass your own by several IQ points."

"Well, I don't care how intelligent you say they are, people become incredibly stupid when confronted with the wilderness, especially when they don't have a clue about how to survive out there." Markus Rinds confirmed his previous implication.

Constance grinned. It was a predatory smile, she was about to drop her little bombshell on the man, and for the first time in her life was going to enjoy making the man regret his words. "Except that Dr Isles spent a number of years in France, more exactly, in the area of the French Alps. She would spend odd weekends camping with the school in those very mountains, summer and winter. I can tell you she is extremely confident when it comes to surviving the wilderness, as you so bluntly put it."

Markus Rinds paled at the news before he pulled himself together and said. "Whatever, I have a rescue to run, you can stay here, the last thing I need is amateurs thinking they can go out and then end up ruining things."

Before they could answer he stormed out of the office, the door slamming in his wake.

"What a pleasant little man," Constance remarked without any sincerity at all. She turned her attention to the sheriff. "I believe we were discussing adding our helicopter to the search, with Detective Korsak acting as spotter. The pilot is experienced in such matters, and the Detective has knowledge of spotting from when he was in Vietnam. I think the title of amateurs need hardly apply."

The sheriff sighed. "I know the mayor has been organizing the search and rescue, and I don't like to go against him, however I can't stop you making a private flight out of the airport. All I ask is that you keep me informed of any progress that you might make."

"Of course, and thank you," Constance shook his hand, and once the others had said their goodbyes she led the way outside and getting into the waiting cars, they made their way back towards the airport.

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Vince Korsak was looking out over the area where the plane had crashed, and he immediately noted how open the area seemed compared to the rest of the landscape.

"Think they knew that clearing was there?" He asked the pilot.

"They might have done, they are locals and know this flight path well." The reply crackled slightly as it came over the headset.

"If they didn't they were bloody lucky," the Detective mused. "We were told our people headed north of here, can you get us low enough to take a good look around in that direction?"

"Not a problem," the pilot confirmed, and with practiced ease turned the helicopter in the right direction. After only a few minutes they made visual contact with the rescue team on the ground, and seeing the area they were covering moved to cross over virgin territory. Thinking over the morning's weather report, Vince knew they only had an hour available to them before they would need to return to Tellar Bay safely. He just hoped it was enough time.

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**Authors Note 2: As you may know, I don't normally leave a second authors note, but thought you might like to know that in the area where I live, gutting and skinning a rabbit or hare is known as 'paunching' a rabbit (or hare). **

**Plus being from the UK I wasn't sure if the chief of police in a small town could also have the title of sheriff and Google didn't help much. If I've got that grossly wrong I apologize. **


	6. Chapter 6: Digging In

**Authors Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, follows etc. **

**I promise I do read each and every review. Please do continue to let me know what you think of the story so far. **

**Thank you to the people that helped clear up the Sheriff v Chief of Police confusion that I had, the information was very helpful.**

**This chapter has not been beta read so I'm sorry if there are any glaring errors. If you spot anything major please do let me know so I can correct it, especially as I have an extremely bad habit of thinking one word and typing out another. This has already happened in another chapter and it was kindly pointed out to me, which allowed me to edit the mistake. Plus I **_**really**_** hate making mistakes. :o)**

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Chapter 6: Digging In.

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**Tellar Bay:**

Dismounting from the helicopter skid Vince Korsak paused when he saw who was there to greet him. "Hello Agent Dean," he said, deliberately keeping his voice neutral. He knew once they found his missing colleagues and friends that Jane would be pissed to see the guy and if he had to work with the FBI agent he then at least could try and be cordial in a professional capacity. However, he would personally refuse to be genial on principal after the way Dean had broken Jane's trust over Paddy Doyle. "May I ask what the FBI is doing here?"

Gabriel Dean smirked at the Detective. "Yeah, you can ask. I'm not sure if I'll tell you though."

Vince Korsak was running low on patience, the worry for his friends and colleagues sapping him of any desire to play games with the FBI. So, furious at the agent's arrogant, overconfident attitude the Detective pushed right into Dean's personal space, forcing the younger man to take a defensive step back. "Listen you asshole, we've got three people missing after the brass insisted they take this damned serial killer case, and the FBI sat back and let them get railroaded. If anything happens to them I'm holding you responsible." Vince couldn't remember the last time he had talked so unprofessionally to another member of law enforcement, but at that moment he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Whoa," Dean held his hands up. "I had nothing to do with that decision."

"Then what the fuck are you doing here?" Korsak spat back, letting the anger roll through him, no longer trying to hold back his contempt.

Finally Dean seemed to realize that the Detective was not going to be railroaded into being the FBI's lapdog on the investigation, and nervously he cleared his throat. "We began to speculate that your unsub had resources which could stretch further than Alaska."

"Well I think you've only got to look at the victim list to work that one out genius. Tell me something I don't know!"

Dean coughed timidly. "We were tracking a serial killer with a similar MO to your case down in the south, that's what sparked our interest and it was why I was sent up here. Originally I had planned to surprise Jane and the others when they arrived, but then of course the plane went missing."

"And the FBI didn't think to tell us this information right at the very beginning? Didn't think because it crossed states you should have insisted on taking over jurisdiction?" Vince was getting angrier by the minute.

Gabriel Dean actually shifted his feet nervously. "No, that part was my decision. I had hoped to talk to Jane when she got here. I'd hope she would forgive me if I made the effort to approach her in person and this seemed like the ideal opportunity."

Vince Korsak barked out a laugh, but it was harsh and conveyed the lack of humor he felt at the situation. "You let our people get pushed into a consult nobody wanted just so you could talk to Detective Rizzoli. Using this situation for your own gain? And then you honestly expected Jane to sit there and forgive you? God, you're even more arrogant and delusional than I thought!"

"Hey now wait a minute," Dean finally reacted angrily, his badly cut hair flapping against his pinched face. "You have no right to talk to me like that."

"And you had no right to use Jane, Maura and Frost for your own personal reasons like that!" Vince retorted immediately.

Gabriel Dean took a deep breath. "Maybe," he finally conceded. "But the FBI does have jurisdiction, and I don't want Boston PD sticking their noses into the investigation."

"Oh so now you don't want our input! Don't worry," Vince snarled. "As soon as we've got the others back safely you're more than welcome to the damned thing. We won't be getting back to Boston and leaving you in this Godforsaken place quickly enough."

Before the conversation could escalate further Frankie, Angela and Constance had arrived on scene.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in!" Frankie said sourly, looking at Dean with distaste.

"Frankie!" Angela exclaimed going to clip her son over the back of the head, "I raised you with better manners than that."

The younger Rizzoli sighed and said in a resigned tone. "Ma, Mrs Isles, I'd like to introduce you to Agent Gabriel Dean of the FBI."

"Oh," when Angela realized who was standing there her manner cooled somewhat, but she was still polite and reached out her hand. "Oh well, I'm Angela Rizzoli, and this is Maura's Mother Constance Isles. I don't believe we ever met when you came to the Boston Police Department, I work in the precinct café."

"Pleasure, and no, we've never met," Dean took her hand and shook it limply before releasing it and doing the same with Constance. "Well if you'll excuse me." And without waiting for an answer he turned on his heel and left.

"Certainly not the most agreeable man," Constance commented, resisting the urge to wipe her hand on her pants.

"No," agreed Frankie. "What's he doing here?" He directed the question to Vince Korsak.

Vince sighed. "You're not going to like my answer." Walking back to the car with the newly arrived snow storm gathering strength by the minute, he recounted the conversation he'd just had with the federal agent. And as expected the others were furious when they heard what Agent Dean was doing there.

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**The Alaskan wilderness:**

The fire was struggling against the snow being blown in, and the wind was causing the smoke to swirl around the shelter a bit, coating and infusing everybody and everything with a slightly smoky scent. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was now the overwhelming fragrance in the enclosed space. Luckily the plastic cover on the bed was doing its job so that at least, was staying dry. Jane had come up with the idea of bringing in a couple of larger flat stones that could be warmed in the fire, then placed in-between the sheets to warm them through before they went to bed. An extra couple of flat stones were also being warmed and the plan was to place them under the raised bed so that the warm air would rise and help heat them from below. And even though that would only last for a very short period, all and any extra warmth would be welcomed. Before they went to bed they sat with their feet resting on the rocks as they warmed on the fires edge.

Resigned to just surviving the storm the three of them wondered what they could do to help pass the time. Remembering the travel chess set in her purse, Maura and Jane played a game, with Barry watching on, pleased to finally be learning the game himself. He explained to the other two that although his Father could play chess well, he'd never had the patience to teach his son. And by the time Barry was an adult he had no real desire to learn, associating the game with the negative memories of that period in his childhood. It had only been since he joined the Homicide Department in Boston that his interest had been rekindled after finding out his partner played the game. Once Jane won the game, much to Maura's gracious annoyance, they listened to some music from Jane's phone, and every hour one of them would take the folding shovel and clear the entrance of snow. Every so often Maura would make tea, and they would just sit and talk about life in general. Each of them had brought a couple of books, so after the temperature dropped for the night, they retired under the bed-covers and hanging the small wind-up lantern above them, they all read for the evening.

By midnight they were really feeling the lower temperature, the wind chill factor was the thing that had altered the atmosphere. They had all taken to keeping a pair of soft shoes dry inside the shelter, which they changed into for sleeping in, sticking their outside boots under the protection of the raised bed. Even wearing the shoes was not letting them keep their extremities warm. And so on Maura's advice they added as many extra socks they could fit inside the footwear without restricting movement, and with a thick pair of socks added over the outside of the shoes they slowly managed to keep themselves safe from frostbite. Luckily they all had more than one hat, so they added the extra headgear to their nightly sleeping clothes, with Maura subconsciously muttering that most heat was lost through the top of a person's head. That made Jane smile, pleased to hear her best friend doing something so normal from her everyday life. It took her back to Boston and away from wilds of Alaska and even though the thought only lasted for a few seconds, it was something Jane welcomed.

Tired from getting very little sleep, they emerged from the bed at around seven, trying to keep a regular routine, and they had agreed on the time the night before. Jane admittedly had never been a morning person, but it had amused her to discover that Frost was even worse than she was until he had his first hot drink of the day. Then it was like somebody flicking a switch and he was instantly chirpy and alert. The storm was still raging outside, so Jane dug out the shelter entrance before heading out to the toilet area. Grateful to have the guideline, she ducked her head to try and keep the blowing snow out of her face, but is still stung like pin pricks when it hit her exposed skin, and it clung to her eyelashes, feeling cold and heavy. Visibility was zero, and Jane knew she could not afford to let go of the rope, the slightest step in the wrong direction and she would be lost. Walking into the wooden branches she had placed around the toilet area because she couldn't see them, Jane grunted in frustration, wondering if that would leave a bruise on her leg. By feel she made her way around the edge and was relieved to discover the branches had done the job, and although there was a fair sized drift in the way, it was at least sheltered from the worst of the wind. Emptying her bladder would not be the battle she had anticipated.

"Fuck, it is colder than a Witch's tit out there," Jane muttered shutting the flap behind her when she got back to the shelter.

Even Maura was too cold to comment on Jane's language, however the Doctor was taken aback slightly by the brunette's next words. "Not that I've anything against Witch's," a slight pause. "Or tits for that matter…."

Jane suddenly seemed to realize what she's said because she trailed off, her eyes going wide before coughing self-consciously and rapidly changed the conversation back to the conditions outside. "The guide line to the toilet area is good, and it's quite well sheltered. Watch yourselves though, you can't see the branches until you hit them." Not waiting for a reply the Detective rummaged for her toothbrush and using some melted snow cleaned her teeth, pointedly keeping her back turned.

Knowing the conversation was closed for the time being, Barry and Maura just exchanged stunned looks before they both took turns to make the same journey the taller woman had just made.

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Settling down Jane reached over and picked up some old dry branches that had been stripped of pine needles, and looking closely decided they could be easily shaped to make some rudimentary forks. Maura glanced up from the fire, and seeing what Jane was planning to do the Doctor handed over a small plastic bag that Jane could use to contain the wood shavings. In turn those could be used to help relight the fire if the ashes died down too much. Seeing what Maura was doing Jane smiled and said. "Thanks, I was wondering where that was."

"I moved it so it was under the bed in the hope that it would help keep the kindling dry," Maura explained. "Anything I can help you with?" She then asked, watching the Detective start to whittle away at the timber.

Jane stopped for a moment to give the request some thought before saying. "I don't think so, I just want to get these done, it's not safe to go anywhere that we can't reach from the guideline and until the storm blows over we're kinda limited on what we can get timber wise."

Looking around the shelter as she started to work the wood again Jane added. "And thinking of the storm, we're not getting the snow blown in that we had yesterday, is that because the snow has built up against the shelter and is providing a protective covering?"

"That would be my conclusion," Maura agreed. "This will mean making sure the entrance is kept clear is going to be of even greater importance."

"I'll volunteer for today," Barry immediately said. "No point in us all getting cold."

Jane paused again. "Are you sure? I mean that sounds like a good idea, but I wouldn't want you risking hypothermia."

"It'll be fine," Frost shrugged. "It doesn't take long to clear and now that the snow isn't getting into the shelter like it was the temperature is warming up slightly. So long as the fire can keep ahead of the cold I'll be okay."

Maura looked over to the dark skinned Detective. "That is a sound argument, although I do rather feel we're shirking our duties if we left it all up to you."

Jane raised an eyebrow, and gave Maura a half grin. "Shirking, I know what it means, but I can't say I've ever heard it used in general conversation before. Why do you come up with obscure words like that?"

Maura considered her response for a moment, tilting her head to one side in a way that Jane always found incredibly cute. "Oh, well, I believe it stems from my years in France. Unlike a lot of the continent the English at my boarding school was not based on American English. They employed grammar and word usage from the English used in Great Britain, hence my predisposition to use such language."

Jane smirked. "And you've just proved your point with that predisposition."

Maura smiled. "I suppose I have, however, I'm still not sure it is fair on Barry to be doing all that work on his own."

"Honestly Doc, I don't mind," Frost was quick to reassure them. "It will make me feel like I'm doing something useful and not just stuck in here all day."

"Well if you're sure?" Maura still looked doubtful, but seeing the nod from Jane she conceded. "Alright then, if you wouldn't mind giving me a hand to tidy up first?"

"No problem," Barry said.

Making sure both strong boxes were set into the fire melting snow so they could make some tea, Maura and Barry tidied up the bed area and reset the flat stones into the edge of the fire pit to heat up ready for the coming night-time. An easy silence fell, and once they had managed to do any small jobs in the shelter they settled down to the boring task of letting the storm pass, Barry disappeared occasionally to clear the entrance of snow. They opened one of the smaller packs of dried fruit for lunch, and had another half hare for dinner. It wasn't ideal and they were all starting to recognize the pangs of hunger that were setting in. However, they were also aware it could have been a lot worse, and filled up as and when they could with pine tea. The routine for the day followed the previous one, although the snow was now so heavy that darkness hardly left the shelter and they ended up using the small lantern to play chess. Maura and Jane played the first game, and Barry had a lesson with Maura afterwards, enjoying the challenge of learning. Night-time soon fell, and going to bed was the same as before, with Jane being the first to once more brave the blizzard and make her way to the toilet area. Again the snow stung and clung to her face, taking away precious warmth from her body and she didn't hang around. Gratefully she made her way back inside the shelter and warmed herself by the fire, waiting to make sure the other two returned safely, sighing with relief when Barry and Maura both reappeared unharmed.

Settling onto the bed area, nobody bothered asking about personal space, Maura settled herself against Jane once more, and resting her head against the taller woman's shoulder enjoyed the feeling of security she got when Jane wrapped an arm around her waist. Barry closed the gap behind the ME, and although he refused to place an arm around her, it added to the warmth, and finally exhaustion from lack of sleep the previous night claimed them all.

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